Free From War
by DameonStarflame
Summary: In the C.E. universe, war has come once again and the call for help is answered by the pilots of the A.C. universe for a second time. Will they be able to help turn the war in the favour of the Three Ships Alliance? Part 3 of 3.
1. Archangel

Gundam Wing & Gundam Seed Destiny:

Free Us From War

Chapter 1: Archangel

_Two years had passed in the Cosmic Era and the tense peace that had been established through the Three Ships Alliance's efforts has crumbled. Chaos has erupted and the rift between Naturals and Co-ordinators has grown, potentially beyond repair as the rift is helped along by Blue Cosmos' creator: Logos. The battle lines have been drawn and Athrun Zala has once again rejoined Yzak Joule and Dearka Elsman as a soldier of ZAFT. Unlike his old allies however, he is stationed with the Co-ordinator's answer to the Archangel: the Minerva, and is a member of ZAFT's elite unit known simply as FAITH. As the situation between ZAFT and the Earth Forces reached dire levels, the Archangel returned to the battlefield as an enemy of both sides. With most of its old crew, Andrew Waltfeld as it's executive officer, Lacus Clyne as its mobile suit operator, and Cagalli Yula Athha; who was rescued from an arranged marriage but forced to leave Orb to become allies of the Earth Forces, the Freedom, the Strike Rouge and the Archangel have put themselves in a difficult place… especially with an impostor Lacus rallying support for the ZAFT troops, and the actions of a few radical Co-ordinators that nearly destroyed the Earth becoming a rallying cry for the Earth Forces. The situation continued to deteriorate even as the Archangel regained one of its invaluable allies: Miriallia Haw, returning to the bridge as the Archangel's MS operator. Free from the duties of MS operator, Lacus and Andrew have returned to the Plants to find out firsthand what the situation is like up in space, and ZAFT has sent out crews to hunt for her in order to rid themselves of the threat to their impostor Lacus if the real Lacus should reveal herself. In a questionable move by the Plants, an attack was launched with the intention of bringing down the Archangel and the Freedom. Kira's ideals against killing in battle costs him against the Impulse Gundam and the Minerva's ace pilot Shinn Asuka with its ability to change parts in mid-battle, leading to the destruction of the Archangel's primary mobile suit. Kira survives thanks to a last minute shutdown of the Freedom's nuclear reactor, but the Archangel is forced into hiding while sporting severe damage to its hull and few mobile suits to defend it, forcing it to try and limp back to Orb after Durandal exposed Logos to the world…_

* * *

><p>Kira sighed sadly as he stared out into the murky depths of the ocean, despite his injuries, as a flash of silver swam by: a fish's scales reflecting the light from inside the Archangel. For some reason, it reminded him of his fight with the Wing Zero and wondered about how things were going in their home universe.<p>

"What's wrong?" Murrue asked as she appeared by his side, causing him to jump in surprise.

"Oh… Ms. Murrue…" He said uncertainly before looking back out the window. "I was just thinking about those guys from that other universe."

She smiled and nodded. "For some odd reason, I have found myself thinking about them quite often lately."

"Since the Freedom was destroyed?"

She sighed and nodded in reluctance. "If they were here, we would still be able to fight…"

Kira smiled weakly. "I know… I wonder how they're enjoying their peace… I think seeing our war gave them a new appreciation for the peace in their home universe."

"I wouldn't doubt it, Kira. They probably think we're still working on keeping our peace in tact too."

"They'd probably be furious if they learned about what has happened."

Murrue couldn't help but chuckle as she folded her arms beneath her breasts. "I wouldn't be surprised. They'd probably go rogue and deal with both sides themselves for being so foolish as to start a new war with the reminders of the old one still fresh in our minds."

Kira allowed himself to chuckle weakly in amusement at the thought. "Especially Heero… It took me a while after the chaos of the war settled down, but I've finally come to respect and understand him. I wouldn't mind meeting him again, if only to apologise for my behaviour back then. I was young and stupid…"

"I can't help but agree with you on that." Murrue said wryly.

"Hey!" Kira said looking at her with an expression of feigned hurt. The captain and pilot burst out in laughter, but it was quickly silenced as they stared out at the dark waters of the ocean and were reminded of why they were there.

"I want them to return to help us, but at the same time, I want them to stay in their own universe and enjoy the peace they fought so hard to obtain." Murrue admitted sadly, and was surprised when Kira nodded in agreement.

"With them here, I was able to focus on what I had to do… but without them, it was harder to concentrate on my duty when I had to protect the Archangel and try to stop the fighting. It's harder to disable suits rather than simply destroying them. It takes a lot more concentration than I used to need."

She patted his shoulder. "You were doing great… you just weren't expecting that pilot to fight the way he did. That mobile suit of his was quite unusual…" She sighed and shook her head. "I've got to get back to the bridge. We're still a long way from Orb and this ship is still badly damaged. I need to organize the repair crews to make sure they're working on the more important issues rather than whatever projects they want to work on."

Kira nodded sadly in understanding, still unable to get his apparent failure to protect the ship out of his mind.

Murrue frowned in concern as she noticed this. "Stop beating yourself up about something that was beyond your control… there are still things we can do about this war even without the Freedom."

Kira smiled slightly. "Thank you, Captain. I needed that."

"You're welcome, Kira. And what did I say about calling me Captain when we aren't on duty?" She asked with a slightly annoyed frown.

He chuckled. "Sorry about that Ms. Murrue."

"That's better." She said as she gave him one final pat on the shoulder before leaving him to stare out the window for a few moments before he decided to go and visit the Archangel's only prisoner: Neo Roanoke of the Earth Forces, who was a suspiciously perfect match for one of their fallen comrades…

* * *

><p>Athrun sat in his room aboard the Minerva, unable to come to grips with the loss of his best friend, and perhaps all of those aboard the Archangel despite nobody being able to confirm the destruction of the legendary ship. However, he was also forced to admit that part of the reason for his self-confinement was that he didn't want to run into Shinn in order to avoid a repeat of what happened in the Minerva's hangar.<p>

He stared at his FAITH pin blankly as he considered everything that had happened up to this point, something he had been doing a great deal since the Freedom's destruction. He was also desperately trying to ignore the nagging feeling at the back of his mind that was trying to tell him that something was wrong with the entire situation they were facing. He was drawn out of his thoughts when a beeping noise caught his attention, indicating that somebody had come to see him. He ignored it, hoping the person would go away, even though he had a feeling it would get him into trouble if it was Talia Gladys, the captain of the Minerva and fellow member of FAITH.

"_Athrun…? It's me, Lunamaria. Are you in there?"_ She asked with a mixed tone of wariness and concern. Her tone made Athrun feel a pang of guilt and realize that he couldn't ignore the young pilot.

He sighed as he re-pinned the FAITH insignia to his uniform and went to answer the door. Despite his doubts, he was still a soldier of ZAFT and he couldn't show any more signs of weakness to his comrades, especially the ones who looked up to him… if they still did, at least.

"What is it?" He asked as he tried to keep his tone light but was obviously failing from the look on the younger pilot's face.

"I wanted to see if you were doing all right… I know you were really close to the people on that ship."

"I'm fine… I just need some time to myself." Athrun said as he looked away from the sad expression on Lunamaria's face.

"I understand… but if ever there's a time you need to talk to somebody, just know that I'll listen." She said and walked away without waiting for a response.

Athrun stared at her back in surprise for a few moments before going back in his room. He shook his head as he locked the door and went over to his terminal. As much as it pained him to do so, he brought up the footage of the Freedom's destruction, playing it repeatedly and at different speeds as he looked for some sign that could put his fears at rest, and to prove that Kira was alive.

* * *

><p>Lacus and Andrew were watching a screen aboard the Eternal that was giving them feed from one of their allies who had planted themselves close to the Supreme Council.<p>

"Humph… do they really think the kid and that crew are so easy to kill?" Andrew scoffed as their ally reported on the destruction of the Archangel and the death of the Freedom's pilot.

"I agree Mr. Waltfeld. However, I wish we had some way to get in contact with them so that we could confirm that they are all right." Lacus said in concern as she looked down at the Eternal's captain.

"It may be time to head out soon. How are they coming?" Andrew asked a mechanic who had just entered.

The mechanic balked in surprise but quickly recovered and looked at a computer pad he had in his hand.

"We're almost done, sir… but may I ask why they're being built? The one potential candidate's status is currently unknown and the other candidate is currently an enemy." He said uncertainly.

Andrew growled in annoyance and opted not to answer the dumb mechanic, leaving it to Lacus to answer.

"Because we have to believe that the one candidate is alive… and I know the other candidate will see the right path and rejoin our cause. He is merely confused right now, and has been confused since the beginning. We simply need to give him his space in order to realize what is really happening beneath the surface. Hopefully the unwarranted attack on the Archangel and the Freedom will help him begin to see what's really going on."

The mechanic nodded in understanding. "We'll have them finished in no time."

Andrew and Lacus nodded as they returned their attentions to the information their ally was giving them.

"Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Andrew asked.

Lacus nodded. "Yes, we are… they will need strength in order to help them show people the truth. I just hope we aren't too late." She said with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Don't worry… we'll be there in time." He said with a reassuring smile.

She smiled down at him and nodded in agreement as the Eternal floated inconspicuously disguised as an asteroid that had a mobile suit factory also contained within…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Happy Halloween readers! As a treat for you, here's the very first chapter of the final Gundam story! As you can tell if you've been reading from the first part, this is a reversal of the first chapter of Winged Destiny. Instead of starting in the A.C. universe, we're starting in the C.E. universe. This is the shortest story of the trilogy because there aren't many big battles before this point that the Wing Pilots could be introduced into without causing some massive differences to the original story.

To those of you who have watched Gundam Seed Destiny, you know what they're currently in the process of building. If you haven't, then you'll find out when it comes up.

If you have stumbled on this story and are new to it, please read these two stories first:  
><em>Winged Destiny<em> - fanfiction . net /s/5564161/1/Winged_Destiny  
><em>No Escape From War<em> - fanfiction . net /s/6646996/1/Is_There_No_Escape_From_War


	2. Here We Go Again

Chapter 2: Here We Go Again…

_As the new war unfolded in the Cosmic Era universe, the After Colony universe had fully recovered from the traumatizing experience it had been put through by Heiran Yaturi. Despite the situation being far worse than the one the previous president had encountered, Relena Peacecraft was re-elected by the public's demands and the Defence Council remained in charge of overseeing the defence of the Earth Sphere… which meant that the Gundam pilots were still actively protecting Relena whenever she went between Earth and the colonies. Currently in the colonies, it was a time of rest as the meetings on one colony were finished and meetings on another colony weren't due to start until the week after, giving everyone a chance to have a breather until they left for the next colony that evening…_

* * *

><p>Noin and Sally were sitting with Hilde at a café, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.<p>

"So where are you guys heading next?" Hilde asked curiously.

Noin shrugged. "Even though we trust you, this is a pretty public place, so we can't take the chance of somebody unsavoury overhearing our plans."

Hilde nodded in understanding. "I must admit, I'm glad her first visit to the colonies was to ours. I was getting worried it'd be months before Duo returned, even if it's only for a short time."

Sally sighed before looking around warily and leaning closer to Hilde. "It will be months. We're apparently going to every single colony, and then the pilots will be returning to Earth for even more meetings." She said quietly so that only Hilde could hear.

Sally noticed Noin's triumphant smirk that she was trying to hide behind her tea cup. "What are you grinning about? You're not going to win."

"I don't know about that… I've got some pretty solid proof…" Noin said slyly.

Sally frowned in annoyance and grumbled under her breath as Hilde looked between the two women in confusion.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Oh… Mariemaia set up a betting pool and Noin and I are in it, along with most of the ESUN staff. Of course, Milliardo, Une and Relena know nothing about it… they'd kill us." Sally explained in amusement.

Hilde stared at them in disbelief. "What kind of betting pool would you two be so amused about, and why would those three kill you for it?"

"I don't think you really want to know." Sally said as she took a bite of the pie she had ordered.

"Come on, tell me. What if I want in on it?"

Noin smirked. "You don't, trust me. It's about the Gundam pilots. It's a bet to see which of them would get married first."

Hilde had been taking a drink of her own tea as Noin said that, and she was forced to duck beneath the table to spit it out before she choked on it. When she reappeared, she stared at the two in shock. "Mariemaia set up something like that?"

The two women nodded.

"Who…?" Hilde asked tentatively as curiosity began to take over.

"Quatre's the one with the best odds… everyone's betting on him because he's the head of a corporation, staying single for a long time won't do well for his image. At least, that's what everyone's hanging their hopes on." Sally explained. "Personally… I placed my bet on Trowa… If you're going to bet on a long shot, you may as well have a bit of hope…"

Noin smiled. "I'm the only one who bet on Duo, simply because he's the only pilot who is actually actively seeing somebody. Of course, nobody was foolish enough to bet on Heero, and Wufei is almost as slim as Duo."

Hilde couldn't help but smile in amusement. "I can see why Milliardo would kill you. His mind would probably jump right to Relena and Heero."

"Ugh! Even I can't imagine that!" Sally said before the three women burst into laughter.

Once they were able get themselves under control, Noin took a look at her watch and sighed in annoyance. "We need to go, Sally. It was nice chatting about something other than business. Thank you Hilde."

"Take care you two." Hilde said as the other two women put down money after quickly finishing up their orders. "Don't worry, I'll pay for it."

Sally shook her head. "It's our treat, Hilde. We insist."

Hilde sighed as she noticed their stubborn expressions. "Fine… Please be careful and make sure those damn pilots don't do anything reckless."

The two women nodded in amused agreement before the three women went their separate ways, not knowing how long it'd be before they could get together for tea again.

* * *

><p>Heero walked down the hallway of the hotel they were staying at after a briefing meeting about what was going to happen over the next month of travelling between the colonies. He paused in front of the door to Duo's room, staring at it in consideration before finally deciding to check in on his fellow pilot, who had been acting strangely recently.<p>

Heero froze in shock as he entered the unlocked room.

Duo cursed as he realized Heero was standing there and scrambled to remove the glasses he was wearing before sighing in defeat, knowing the damage had already been done, and motioned for him to come in.

"Doesn't anybody knock these days?" He growled in annoyance as Heero shut the door. He set the glasses on the table as Heero stared intently at them.

"I had a feeling I'd be caught sooner or later, but I wasn't expecting it to be by you."

"What's going on?" Heero asked as he came over to the table where Duo had his copy of the meeting's notes laid out.

"Apparently, I'm going blind. Slowly… and I can thank whoever my parents were for it. I went to an outside doctor after we got back from the other universe when I noticed my vision was acting weird. Turns out its some weird genetic defect that usually only shows up in a person's forties or fifties. He said that the constant exposure to extreme sources of light from fighting has aggravated it and made it reveal itself now."

Heero stared coolly down at his fellow pilot. "How long do you have?"

Duo shrugged. "It's hard to say. If I retire from piloting, I can probably prolong my vision by about ten or fifteen years, but if I don't…" He shook his head and sighed.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Duo flinched slightly from Heero's icy tone. "I know it's a risky gamble, but I don't want to be forced to retire from defending the peace of the Earth Sphere. I'll go nuts just sitting around and doing nothing."

"And if your vision was to suddenly give out in the middle of a battle? What would you have done then?"

Duo sighed. "I had planned for that. Once we got back to Earth, I was going to modify the Deathscythe Hell's cockpit to compensate for a lack of vision."

Before Heero could say anything, Duo raised his hand to silence Heero as he looked at his fellow pilot sternly. "Don't start… I know if you were in my position, you'd do the exact same thing."

Heero stared at Duo for a few moments before reluctantly nodding in agreement. "How have you managed to keep it hidden for so long?"

Duo stared at Heero in disbelief. "And why do you feel the need to ask that question? You already know how. My vision isn't that bad right now… although it has gotten worse since everything that happened last year."

"That's why you have been acting the way you have at meetings."

Duo nodded as he put his glasses back inside a case he had hidden in his back pocket and stood, making sure to put the files back in their case.

"I promise I won't be a burden despite my handicap, but…" He hesitated for a moment before continuing on. "…can I count on you to watch my back in battle?"

Heero stood silent for a few moments before nodding. "If it gets too bad, tell me and I'll help you… if I can."

"And there's one thing that I have to ask you to give your word on… give me your word that you won't tell anyone about this. Not even Hilde knows." Duo said with a slight hint of a plea in his tone.

"I can't. If your situation could compromise an important mission, I will be forced to tell the Defence Council. I'm taking enough of a risk as it is by allowing you to fight when you could go blind at any moment, even temporarily."

Duo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he noticed Heero's tone. "Damn… now I know I'm in a bad spot if I'm getting sympathy from the robot." He growled in annoyance. "Fine, I understand about that. But whatever you do, don't tell Hilde. She's the last person I want to know about this. Promise me that much, or else I'll be the next person to shoot you, and I won't miss." He snarled as he shoved a finger hard at the tip of Heero's surgical scar that was barely visible above the collar of his shirt.

Heero managed to keep his expression cool, but inside he was taken aback by the fierceness Duo was showing. Finally, he nodded. "You should tell her, though…"

Duo sighed and shook his head. "Eventually I will… Come on, we gotta get ready to go." He said as he glanced at the clock before leaving the room.

Heero remained behind, glaring at the floor in frustration. This was the second time within a year that he was forced to feel completely helpless… but unlike last time, this time there was no way to slip through the enemy's tactics… because the enemy was part of the person who needed the help. He stood there for a few moments, trying to fight through the feeling of helplessness, before finally leaving the room to join his fellow pilots.

* * *

><p>Relena sighed as she walked towards her shuttle, pausing to motion the Gundam pilots over to her.<p>

"What's wrong?" Quatre asked in concern.

"There's been a change of plans. Our regular pilot fell ill, so Noin will be piloting the shuttle. Remember that there are six of you now, so don't try to overexert yourselves."

The pilots nodded.

"At least it's somebody that we trust piloting the shuttle." Trowa said with a relieved expression.

"That's what she said you'd say." Relena said wryly as the rest of the Defence Council stood at the walkway towards the shuttle's open door, waiting for her.

"All right, let's head out." She said before turning and walking towards the shuttle.

Duo and Heero exchanged glances quickly before the pilots ran to their Gundams in order to be ready to surround the shuttle as soon as it left the hangar.

"_She told you about the change in plans, right?"_ Milliardo asked once all of the Gundams were activated.

"_Yes, and we're glad it's Noin."_ Wufei answered as the Gundams and the Tallgeese III launched ahead of the shuttle, scouting the outside of the colony for any threats before giving the shuttle the 'all clear' signal.

"Remember Milliardo, we agreed to scout out any abnormal signals while you remained behind with the shuttle to guard it. Don't try to change the plan on us mid-operation." Heero reminded the older man, who scoffed in reply as the shuttle exited the colony hangar.

The Wing Zero flew ahead of the shuttle, going ahead at times to scout the area ahead of the shuttle's route.

"Guys… I found something… and you're not going to like it." He said grimly as his radar picked up a familiar signal.

Four signals appeared behind him, allowing him to sigh in relief as they registered themselves as the other four Gundams.

"_What's wrong, Heero?"_ Quatre asked even as Duo's curses could be heard.

"_It's that damn anomaly."_ He growled.

"_Milliardo, adjust the shuttle's path. The anomaly that took us to that other universe is in the way. Who knows where it will throw us this time if we run into its pull."_ Trowa said calmly as the Gundams began adjusting their own path to avoid it.

"_Understood… I've informed Noin and the shuttle's changing course. Be careful… if what you said about it is true, it could shift to trap you."_ Milliardo warned.

"_We throw that warning right back at you guys. Who knows what it'll do?"_ Wufei growled in annoyance as the Gundams kept the anomaly just within their radar range to keep an eye on it while they avoided it.

They sighed in relief as it passed out of radar range and didn't appear to move.

"_All right, we're heading back… Oh come on!"_ Duo's outraged voice made it clear that the anomaly had moved… and it was now in a place where the pilots couldn't avoid it.

"_Protect the shuttle, Milliardo. It looks as though we're trapped."_ Heero said icily.

"_We'll try to get back as soon as we can…"_ Quatre said as he tried, and failed, to sound reassuring.

Everyone quickly said their goodbyes before shutting down their whining thrusters and allowed the anomaly to suck them in.

Milliardo cursed in anger when he reached their last location and everything was normal.

"_What's wrong, Milliardo?"_ Noin asked in concern as the Tallgeese III made its way back to the shuttle.

"That anomaly apparently surprised them. They're gone." He growled in response as the Tallgeese III hovered beside the shuttle. Being the only suit protecting it, Milliardo was forced to keep a closer eye on his radar, which gave him a few seconds warning before another anomaly appeared right in front of the shuttle.

"_You have got to be kidding me…"_ Noin said in shock as the shuttle and the Tallgeese III were entrapped in its pull and both were pulled into the anomaly, which promptly vanished once the tail of the shuttle was enveloped by the darkness…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> If you're wondering about the apparent randomness of Mariemaia's betting pool, it's a sign that times really are peaceful for them. Beforehand, they could always sense that there was still the potential for a major threat to happen. Now that Heiran Yaturi has been put away and Relena has the almost unanimous support of the entire Earth Sphere, they can sense that any chance of a major threat has passed. That doesn't mean to say there won't be threats to Relena's life, hence the pilots still escorting her shuttle, but the threat won't be as major as Heiran was.

Mariemaia doesn't seem the type to set up something like that, but that's exactly why I had her do it: to show that she's grown and become a normal girl, with a bit of a mischievous streak in her that she can normally keep hidden when its necessary.

Duo not having many bets on him is because of his care-free attitude. People in the ESUN who know him don't think he's capable of getting married even if he's the only one currently in a relationship because marriage would tie him down more than a simple boyfriend/girlfriend relationship does.

As for his blindness, that's creative licensing on my part. *shrugs* Sorry. But since we know nothing of their parents (with slight exception to Quatre), there was bound to be at least one incident of a genetic defect showing its ugly head at some point in their lives. Duo just happened to draw the short straw on that happening to him early. Let's face it: staring at explosions almost your entire life would definitely not help the condition of your eyes, so it weakened the strength of his eyes enough that the defect started showing itself early.

And yes, that anomaly was making damn certain they went back to the C.E. universe. Wouldn't make much of a crossover story if they passed right on by it, would it? They just happened to get some tag-alongs this time.


	3. Separated

Chapter 3: Separated

Duo sighed in annoyance with their newfound situation as the Gundam pilots slipped into the chaotic Gibraltar base wearing red ZAFT uniforms they had stolen from a personnel facility. "This is easily one of the dumbest things we've ever done…" He muttered to himself. "And I should know, I played a part in many of those dumb things we did. Of course, I'm here so…"

Everyone ignored his mutterings as they casually moved around the facility like they belonged there to avoid suspicion.

"It's a good thing we were dumped into the ocean this time…" Quatre admitted trying to keep the wariness out of his voice.

"Not to mention the landing wasn't as rough." Wufei growled slightly.

"Are you sure the Gundams are safe where we left them?" Trowa asked quietly in concern.

"They'll be fine. We hid them well." Heero said dismissively.

As they walked around, they began to realize the situation that ZAFT's forces were in, and it did nothing to make their moods any better.

"Lovely, they're at war again." Duo grumbled and shook his head slightly to keep his braid from slipping out.

"Unfortunately… Do you think we'll find any familiar faces here? This is a ZAFT facility." Quatre's quiet tone was filled with worry.

"Perhaps Dearka… but that may be the only one." Trowa suggested.

"Trowa, go and see if you can gather any information in any nearby towns. We need to know what's been going on since the last time we were here." Heero said as they ducked under the feet of a GINN.

Trowa nodded and headed towards a gate that exited the facility.

"It's sheer dumb luck that there are so many people here… we can blend in so easily." Duo's mutter was barely audible, but the others nodded grimly in agreement.

As a truck carrying armaments moved out of their way, they were able to see a familiar blue-haired back turned to them.

"No way… do you honestly think it's him?" Duo asked in disbelief.

"Well considering we expected to find Dearka here, we shouldn't have excluded any of the other former ZAFT soldiers." Quatre admitted thoughtfully as they headed towards him and hoped it wasn't a case of mistaken identity.

Athrun turned, apparently preoccupied with his thoughts, and jumped in surprise as they stood in front of him. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Don't ask." Duo said with a shake of his head.

"Where's that other pilot?" He asked in concern.

"Trowa's gone on an information gathering mission." Heero answered casually.

Athrun nodded in understanding and looked around as though surveying what was going on around them. "Come with me. I'll find us somewhere quieter so you can make your report." He instructed them with a quick gesture to his FAITH pin before walking away.

"I guess that means he's somebody higher than he seems to be… We'd better follow him so that it doesn't look bad." Quatre said in surprise before they began following Athrun, hoping the Tallgeese III and the shuttle were still safe in their universe…

* * *

><p>Despite not having been that far from the Gundams when the anomaly took them, the shuttle and the Tallgeese III were thrown into space, deposited near a large asteroid.<p>

"_Milliardo…? Is there any sign of the others?"_ Noin's uncertain voice made Milliardo frown in concern as he scanned his radars for their familiar signals.

"_There's nothing…"_ He growled.

"_Milliardo… are we in that universe they were talking about? If it is… maybe we can try to contact one of those ships that helped them."_

Milliardo nodded. _"Go and check on Relena. I'll see what I can come up with."_

"_Understood… be careful not to be picked up by an enemy."_

"_I won't."_

Noin sighed and shook her head as she left the cockpit.

Relena looked up at her in concern. "What's going on? I remember a flash of light, and then…" She trailed off as she looked out to the unfamiliar scenery.

"We were pulled into an anomaly, which also took the pilots. If we're lucky, we're in the universe that they were in previously, which means we can get aid from those who helped them before." Noin reported with her usual business-like tone to avoid allowing her concerns to become known and cause Relena to worry about their situation.

Relena nodded uncertainly as Une frowned.

"This isn't going to bode well back home. You remember how panic spread after it was leaked that the pilots were missing… what will happen when it's learned that they've gone missing again and that this time you're with them?"

"I've left instructions that Mariemaia is in charge if something happens. She's a quick thinker, I'm sure she'll come up with an explanation that will pacify the public." Relena said with more certainty.

Sally nodded and muttered something under her breath, which Noin caught and rolled her eyes at.

A beeping noise from the cockpit made Noin run back in. "What is it, Milliardo?"

"_It turns out, we don't have far to go. That asteroid we're near is actually the hiding spot of one of the ships that helped our pilots before… Follow me."_

"Understood Milliardo…"

The shuttle's engines roared to life as it began to follow the Tallgeese III slowly towards the asteroid.

* * *

><p>A well-camouflaged door opened wide enough to allow the shuttle to enter before shutting quickly to avoid notice. The shuttle was caught and locked into place by special equipment as the Tallgeese III knelt beside it.<p>

As they disembarked, they were surrounded by cautious supporters of Lacus who had guns aimed at the newcomers, all of whom took it in stride as they understood the precautions.

"Please lower your weapons." A commanding, yet gentle voice ordered and the supporters lowered their guns hesitantly as Lacus and Andrew appeared through the crowd to greet the newcomers.

"Pink… hair…?" Sally muttered in shock as Lacus approached.

"Hello, I am Lacus Clyne. I understand from your distress signal that you are friends of Mr. Yuy and the others?"

Relena nodded as she stepped forward to meet the younger woman. "I am Relena Peacecraft, and yes… they're our friends and allies. We were separated from them when an anomaly took us here. You wouldn't happen to have found them before us, did you?" She asked in concern.

Andrew shook his head as he stood beside Lacus. "Sorry about that, all we found were you guys. The first time they came here, they landed in the North African desert… they could be back on Earth."

"Unfortunately, trying to get into contact with them would be a gamble." Milliardo growled in frustration.

Relena and Lacus looked at him curiously.

"The odds that they're in their Gundams would be slim to none. They'd probably be trying to find out what's been happening since they left last time." Andrew explained and received a nod of agreement from Milliardo.

"Come aboard the Eternal. Your shuttle will be safe here, but with your permission we will load your mobile suit on board just in case we need to head out. I'm sure you don't want to be without it." Lacus said in concern.

"Thank you, we are grateful for your hospitality, even though we are strangers."

Lacus smiled at Relena. "It is an honour to have somebody those five considers as friends here. Besides, we know we can trust you, because only allies of ours ever learned about their origins."

Relena couldn't help but smile in amusement and nod.

Ignoring the confused and concerned looks of her supporters, Lacus led the newcomers towards the Eternal's open hatch.

* * *

><p>The pilots sat silently in Athrun's room as they processed the situation. "Man, when you guys start wars, you certainly know how to make them start with a bang…" Duo said with a shake of his head.<p>

Before Athrun could reply, a knock at his door had all of the other pilots jumping for their weapons warily.

"Athrun…? I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I wished to talk to you about something." Athrun paled before motioning the other pilots to release their weapons.

"Uh… Chairman Durandal…? What brings you here?" Athrun asked through the door, causing the other pilots to glance at each other in concern.

"I'm concerned about you… isn't that a good enough reason to come see you?"

Athrun sighed and glanced warily at the pilots before opening the door.

The chairman paused in the doorway as he noticed the other pilots. "Oh, I'm sorry Athrun; I didn't know that you had company. Perhaps I should come back later?"

Athrun shook his head. "It's all right, sir. They were some seniors of mine back at the military academy. We were just catching up."

The pilots quickly stood as though they had just realized who it was at the door and saluted him.

He chuckled and gestured them to sit back down, which they did with proper reluctance that made Athrun almost slip up with a look of surprise.

"So how are you really feeling, Athrun? I know must have been a horrible blow to you when the Minerva was ordered to attack the Archangel." Durandal asked in concern.

"I've been trying not to think about it sir…" Athrun said as he looked at the floor.

Durandal nodded in understanding. "I see… just remember not to bottle up your feelings Athrun… it only leads to problems down the road." He said calmly before patting Athrun on the shoulder, waving to the other pilots, and turned to leave the room. He paused at the open door and looked back at Athrun. "Oh yes, keep close to the Minerva… I will be calling on you soon." He said and left.

Everyone remained silent until Quatre checked to make sure he wasn't listening at the door and was well out of hearing range. "I don't like him…" Quatre said with a frown of concern, which caused Athrun to look up at him in surprise.

The others nodded in agreement. "He gives me the creeps… he sounds sincere, but…" A shudder ran through Duo as he stared at the door.

We can see why you were drawn in by him, Athrun, but if I were you… I'd start asking a lot of questions, and make sure you listen very carefully to the answers. You'll probably be surprised by what you hear when you ask the right questions." Quatre instructed him.

"We know you're not as naïve as Kira was. You'll listen to our warning…" Heero said as they stood.

Before Athrun could say anything, they left his room and were gone when he tried to follow them.

Athrun sat in his room and thought about what they said as a feeling of dread settled on the experienced soldier's shoulders…

* * *

><p>"When they said you had impressive technology, they weren't lying." Sally commented as they were being led on a tour around the Eternal by Lacus, who smiled at her as they exited the medical facilities.<p>

"Thank you for that compliment, but I'm sure your technology is just as impressive."

"Unfortunately, most of our technological knowledge lies in the production of enhanced mobile suits. At the height of our war, we even had suits that needed no pilots." Une said with a shake of her head, which caused Lacus to look at her sadly.

"That is unfortunate…"

"However, now that mobile suits are all but unnecessary, I'm sure our technological knowledge will shift itself in a new and better direction." Relena said as she shot a hurt look at Une, who could only shrug in response.

"Commander Waltfeld, is there any word on Mr. DaCosta?" Lacus asked in concern as he approached.

Andrew shook his head. "Nothing yet… I just hope he doesn't bring back any trouble with him when he does return. I have a feeling you'll join your fellow pilots' decision and take no part in our war?" He asked Milliardo, who nodded sternly.

"My first duty is to protect Relena. Of course, since she's on this ship… should it come under attack… who knows?" He shrugged.

Andrew smirked in amusement. "You're just like them… come on, let's get back to the bridge."

"I'm going to go and try to contact them… you never know, I may just get lucky." Milliardo said as he turned to head to where the Tallgeese III was being stored.

The others nodded before following Andrew and Lacus back to the bridge.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>**:** Sorry about the delay with this chapter. Real life and the lack of a computer helped delay its release. Because of that, I completely forgot yesterday was Monday and nearly forgot to upload it. Anyways, enough with the excuses and onto some details of this chapter.

I realize after re-reading this chapter that Duo comes off more sarcastic and bitter than usual. Then again, dealing with the fact that he's going blind and is no longer in friendly territory with this ailment isn't exactly the best situation he's ever found himself in, especially since they've all just strolled into a ZAFT base when it was only two years prior that the faction was actively trying to kill him. Don't worry, he'll be back into his usual humour soon. He's the type to recover quickly unless the situation is at the point of no return.

Yes, Relena and the others got lucky being thrown right beside the Eternal's hiding spot. And yes, somebody finally commented outwardly about the unusual hair colours visible in Gundam Seed compared to the more natural tones in Gundam Wing, even if it was just a mutter of shock. Despite apparently not having much to do in the story, you can bet that the Defence Council is taking mental notes to look into if it would be possible to replicate the technology of this universe in their own. They just won't openly say as much because they are still in a rather precarious position, especially since they're in a foreign universe without the guidance of the more experienced Wing pilots.

Once again, the Wing pilots' outsider perspective comes into play with the Chairman. Yes it is a rather immediate reaction, but as the Chairman began showing his darker side in the show (which was slowly coming to light before this point), he began giving off a creepy vibe that would immediately be picked up by the Wing pilots. Athrun had begun noticing it himself, but because he'd been by the Chairman's side almost the entire time it was harder for him to see it without the help of an outside perspective. It could have easily been somebody from their universe that helped Athrun see the light, but it just happened to be the Wing pilots because of the way events played out.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! Sorry the story seems so short, but this story was always the smallest of the trilogy. I've tried to make it bigger, but it didn't seem to work out.


	4. Break Out

Chapter 4: Break Out

Trowa sat in his Gundam as he waited for the others to return, which he knew should happen soon.

"_Gundams, this is Milliardo… can you hear me?"_

Trowa jumped in shock at the voice that came out of his communications line. "Milliardo…? Where are you?" He asked in concern.

"_We're aboard the ship known as the Eternal. I'm sorry that I'm the one who has to dash your hopes that we escaped from the anomaly, but somehow we ended up in space. Where are the others?"_

"We're at a ZAFT facility on Earth… I went to learn what I could in the nearby civilian city and the others are investigating what's happening inside the base."

"_I guess there's no point in warning you guys to be careful then?"_

"We know what we're doing. You guys just stick close to the Eternal, they're good people. They'll help you and we'll join you as soon as we're able, even if we have to hijack a Mass Driver."

There was a pause before Milliardo replied, trying and failing to hide the amusement in his voice. _"That's fine… Tell the others not to worry about us when you hear from them; we can take care of ourselves."_

"Understood… it's good to know our communications truly aren't hampered by all of the different jamming devices employed by the two sides. When we had made that claim before, we were merely going on the speculation that the communication systems in our Gundams were different than the communication systems employed by the people in this universe."

"_I agree… I'll try and contact you again if anyone wants to get a hold of you, so keep close to your Gundam."_

"I probably don't have much choice in the matter, just on the off chance that I have to bail the others out. Heero was a ZAFT soldier for a time, and he's probably got a warrant on his head for treason."

"_That could become a problem if somebody recognizes him… keep an eye out for them, Trowa. If they have tails, make sure to take them out."_

Trowa couldn't help but smirk. "You don't need to tell me twice… it would be quite problematic if we're seen before we can get into contact with the Archangel or join the Eternal in space."

"_So it's back to that old philosophy, hm?"_

Trowa nodded as he closed his eyes in remembrance. "'Anyone who sees a Gundam must die'… yes… it's strange that I remember it after all these years."

"_It was drilled into your head by those who sent you to Earth; it's not surprising it's still there. I must go now and inform Relena that you're all safe. Take care of yourselves."_

"You too, Milliardo…" Trowa sighed as he cut off the communication and stared out through the trees towards the base. "Hurry up and don't get caught you guys…"

* * *

><p>"Come on, Trowa should be back by now." Heero said as they walked down a hallway of the base after gathering more information on the Chairman.<p>

They paused as three young people, pilots judging by their red uniforms, passed. The girl and the dark haired boy were talking about the Minerva, the ship Athrun had been on, but the blonde haired boy stared coldly at the pilots until the three turned a corner.

"We need to get out of here… now." Heero snapped warily, and unusually quietly.

"What's wrong?" Quatre asked in concern.

"I think I saw that blonde kid once… it was quickly with Rau La Creuset before the Vesalius took off after the Three Ships Alliance the first time. Either that or a younger brother of his… it doesn't matter which it was, we're in trouble if he reports seeing me."

"Oh shit yeah… there'd still be a treason charge on your head!" Duo hissed.

The others held grim looks as though they had forgotten about that until now.

"And since we're with you, we'll be charged with aiding a traitor or some dumb charge like that." Wufei growled as they began heading down the hallway, keeping at a casual pace to avoid suspicion.

"Damn that kid moved fast…" Duo muttered beneath his breath as several armed soldiers appeared at a t-intersection and surrounded them.

"Ensign Joseph Michaels, you are wanted on an outstanding charge of treason as well as evading arrest. The rest of you are charged with harbouring a fugitive and treason."

"What the hell for?" Duo snapped indignantly as another soldier demanded that they placed their hands on their heads.

Quatre frowned as he thought he saw something vanish into the base of Duo's braid before his hands covered it up, while the guard explained to them that they became traitors as soon as they allowed him back into the base without turning him in.

* * *

><p>Once they were disarmed, the guards escorted them to a separate building on the base where prisoners were being temporarily housed.<p>

"Where should we put these ones?" One of their guards asked.

The desk soldier looked up at them in annoyance. "What'd they do?"

"One outstanding treason warrant and the rest are treasons for aiding said traitor."

The desk soldier's expression became grim as he looked at them more carefully.

"We're pretty full since all the Earth Forces prisoners that our ships have taken in are here…" He sighed as he looked at his books, trying to find someplace empty. "Just throw them in Holding Cell #4 together. There's no way out of the holding cell except from the outside, so they should be fine together until we can figure out something else. Besides, under the present conditions, treason prisoners never last more than a week." He said dismissively as he received nods of understanding from their guards.

They were escorted to the holding cell and shoved in roughly by one of the guards as the others kept their guns trained on the pilots.

Once the door was sealed, Wufei shook his head. "These guys are pretty careless, keeping all of us together in one room like this…"

"Unfortunately, they're right about us not being able to get out… there's no access panel of any kind in this place. There's not even a communication panel…" Quatre said in concern as he examined the walls.

"Aren't you guys glad to have me?" Duo asked with a grin as he rubbed his wrists to get the feeling back into them; the binders he had been wearing were abandoned on the floor.

"Do we even want to ask?" Heero asked in annoyance as Duo began freeing the others.

"You know… I think I should just leave you locked up. It's a good look for you." Duo shot back before the two men glared at each other for a few moments.

"Can you two hold off on your little staring match until we're somewhere else?" Wufei growled.

Duo muttered some curses under his breath before freeing Heero.

"So what do we do now?" Quatre asked as Duo sat back down.

"We wait." He said simply as he stared at the door.

Quatre grabbed Wufei before Wufei could do anything to hurt their fellow pilot.

"You had better have a plan Duo." Heero said icily as he sat away from the others.

"Maybe I do… maybe I don't. You'll just have to be patient and see, won't you?" He said with a sly grin, causing Quatre to look at him in concern as Wufei sat in a corner away from Duo.

Duo seemed oddly intent at aggravating the two most violent men in the room.

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly in concern.

"What does it look like? I'm riling them up for some fun later." Duo said with a casual shrug.

"I really hope you know what you're doing, Duo…"

Duo simply nodded and fell into silence.

* * *

><p>Duo smirked as several hours passed and the faint sounds of alarms could be heard from outside.<p>

"I knew he'd listen to our advice." He said happily as he stood up and stretched. "Is everyone ready to head out?"

Heero and Wufei glared dangerously at him as Quatre looked at him in concern.

"How do you propose we get out of here?" Wufei growled as Duo casually pulled out a small device from his braid.

"I love how they never search you thoroughly. Anyone who wants to keep themselves intact, try to stay close to the walls away from the door." He instructed before setting the device on the door where the locking mechanism was inside the door.

Duo stood beside Heero and closed his eyes tightly as the device's green light turned red and an explosion rocked their cell.

Heero had no time to make sure Duo was all right before rushing out of the destroyed door with Wufei close behind.

Duo flashed a grin at Quatre before following the others.

"Where did you get one of those?" Quatre asked as Heero and Wufei began fighting guards who had come to see what was happening, taking their frustrations with Duo out on them.

"I like being prepared. I always keep a lot of stuff like that on me just on the off chance that I find myself in an inconvenient situation."

Quatre shot a suspicious look at him but stopped asking questions when two guards came up behind them and Quatre was forced to kick one in the stomach before punching him to make sure that he was unconscious. Duo ducked as another guard swung at him before coming up with the heel of his hand connecting with the guard's chin, making a sickening crunching sound that made Quatre wince as the guard collapsed.

"Oops, too much force." Duo said with a wince as they ran after Heero and Wufei, who were making their way to the vault where confiscated items were held.

Once they retrieved their weapons, they slipped out of the base with everyone's attentions focused on Athrun's attempt at running away.

"I just hope Trowa's there ready to cover us if somebody spots us." Quatre said in concern as they dodged into the forest where they had hidden their Gundams.

"This is Trowa, he'll be there." Wufei snapped in annoyance.

* * *

><p>The pilots didn't stop running until they had reached their Gundam's hiding place, where Trowa stood at the feet of the Heavyarms waiting for them.<p>

"It's good of you to have finally shown up. From the way you were running, you guys looked as though you had gotten yourselves into some trouble." Trowa's tone made it clear that he wouldn't be surprised if they had.

"It's all Heero's fault." Duo muttered in annoyance, ignoring the dark look Heero gave him.

"Technically, Duo, the blame falls on you. You did pull him out of the Plants' radar range while in stealth mode, so they automatically assumed that he had voluntarily defected." Trowa said wryly, causing his fellow pilot to shrug his shoulders in aloofness.

"Anyways, I know our next destination…" He said grimly.

"Where are we going and how did you learn about it?" Heero asked mirroring Trowa's grim tone.

"We're going into space to find the Eternal. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts… the shuttle and Tallgeese III were caught by the anomaly. I don't know how it decides where to send things that are caught by it, but they were thrown into space near the Eternal's hiding place. Lacus and Andrew are sheltering them for now, but they aren't really safe where they are."

The other pilots paled in shock. It had been their job to protect that shuttle and yet it still ended up in trouble. They had failed. They were used to the feeling of failure, but this was a massive blow because they had willingly sacrificed themselves in hopes of protecting that shuttle, and yet the shuttle was still taken.

Duo was the first one to recover as he sighed reluctantly. "Well, we have these uniforms… we might as well make use of them." Duo admitted as he motioned to the uniforms they were still wearing.

"We'll have to move fast then. We'll have to beat the alert they'll put out on us once they discover we're gone."

"Then why are we standing around here for?" Quatre asked as he ran to the Sandrock.

The others nodded in agreement and ran to their suits, taking off as soon as their Gundams were activated…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Yep. Duo's little stunt from Winged Destiny has come back to bite the guys in the ass. I hadn't forgotten about Heero's "treachery", it just wasn't addressed until this story. And as I promised, Duo's back to his normal antagonistic and playful spirits in this chapter. Yes, he's still pissed about the situation that's been handed him, but he's decided to suck it up and go along with it to see how things go. Though that does beg the question: what situation would Duo think he'd get into that would require any of his various escape tools? Then again, they are all Gundam Pilots. Paranoia and preparedness comes with the job, no matter how peaceful things are. Athrun's on his way to find the Archangel, and they're on their way to the Eternal. Nice and fitting. Please keep reading!


	5. Gone Away

Chapter 5: Gone Away

When Relena failed to show up in the L3 colony cluster for her scheduled meetings, panic began to rise among the officials, especially when it got out that even the Gundams had vanished again. However, this time, they managed to act quickly and prevented it from getting out to the general public. Mariemaia caught wind of what was happening and stepped up to take over in Relena's place, as per her wishes, quickly releasing a statement to the public that said that Relena had collapsed from stress brought on by her extensive workload and was resting in an undetermined location. Her quick response seemed to placate the public's curiosity and concerns, but she worried about how long it would last before the truth came out…

Hilde sighed as she stood by Mariemaia's desk as the young girl wrapped up her day's work.

"I'm glad you accepted my request to be my guard, Hilde. I was afraid that any guards the other politicians assigned me would be looking over my shoulder for the tiniest mistake so they could overrule Relena's absentee authority and kick me out." Mariemaia said as she set the last of some requisition forms into her out box.

"It's a bit boring, but it's better than things getting royally screwed up before Relena returns." Hilde said with a smile that faded quickly. "What really happened, Mariemaia? You've been as tight-lipped as the rest of these jerks, and I know the story you fed the media was a red herring to stop another round of panic like the last time."

Mariemaia sighed and shook her head as she stood up, stalling for time by putting on her coat. When she finished with her coat, she knew she had no choice but to tell Hilde. "We don't have all the details yet since they were in a dead zone at the time, but it appears as though we're facing the same situation as we did two years ago." She said reluctantly.

The colour drained from Hilde's face as she stared at the young girl in shock.

Mariemaia walked up to her and put a comforting hand on her arm. "Don't worry, Hilde… they returned once, they will again… we just have to wait for them."

Hilde sighed and shook her head. "Remind me to strangle them when they return."

Mariemaia couldn't help but laugh. "Can I help? I'll take care of Heero and Wufei."

Hilde smiled. "That's fine by me."

"Come on, let's head home."

"Yes ma'am." Hilde said with a quick salute before following Mariemaia from her office.

* * *

><p>Abdul chuckled as he entered Quatre's office and saw a stressed out Ahmed throwing some files to the floor in frustration. "Want some help?"<p>

"How the hell did Master Quatre or Rashid have the patience for this stuff?" Ahmed grumbled as Abdul picked up the files and set them back on the desk.

"Master Quatre has an infinite reserve of patience… Rashid on the other hand… well… he was just as frustrated with helping Master Quatre run the company as you are now."

"I'll switch with you… you can be Master Quatre's second and commander of the Maganac Corps if you want."

Abdul laughed warily as he made a warding off gesture and backed away from Ahmed. "Hell no, I wouldn't want to be in your position at all. I'd crack under the pressure."

Ahmed sighed and rubbed his moustache as Auda joined them. "So when do you think Master Quatre will return?" He asked as Abdul took off his sunglasses to clean them.

"The girl's good, we gotta give her that… at least this way we won't have to worry about her hand being forced into declaring all of them dead."

"Do you think it's the same problem as last time?" Auda asked in concern.

"It's obvious that it is exactly like last time… except from the sounds of it, Lady Relena and the others got caught in it too. Master Quatre probably isn't too pleased to know that."

"So we won't know when he'll return, we just have to hold down the fort until he does." Ahmed replied with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, we know enough not to screw up so we don't have to worry." Abdul said as he put an arm around Auda's shoulders.

Auda pushed Abdul away in annoyance and shook his head.

Before he could say anything, Quatre's secretary entered with a wary knock. "Sirs… that order for project #803 has arrived at the site…"

"Thanks, we'll handle it. Have fun Ahmed!" Abdul said with an amused grin as Auda ran out of the office.

"Wait! Let me come with you!" Ahmed pleaded, but his fellow Maganacs were already gone. He sighed and shook his head.

"Traitors…" He grumbled as the secretary handed him the associated paperwork with an amused expression.

* * *

><p>Catherine stood in the middle of the ring with her knives in hand, staring down the person Trowa had personally selected to be his temporary replacement for whenever he was away. She had to admit, Trowa was right to choose him… he was actually grinning in amusement as she shifted her stance and readied the last of her knives to throw at him!<p>

With one quick motion, she threw the two knives and hoped as they flew towards him. With a loud thud, both knives hit their marks along his outstretched arms. Both of them bowed for the cheers that erupted from the crowd before leaving the ring.

"Good job as always Catherine!" The ringmaster said happily as he passed them.

"Thanks, sir." She said as they left the main tent.

"I'll have to thank Mr. Barton when Lady Relena's feeling better and he can return; this has been quite a lot of fun."

She smiled at Trowa's replacement. "I'm glad you're having fun. Get some rest; you'll need it for tonight's show."

"All right, Miss Bloom."

She frowned at him sternly. "How many times have Trowa and I told you to call us by our first names? We're not formal around here."

He chuckled. "I'm a slow learner, I guess. See you later, Catherine."

She nodded in approval before waving and heading towards where the lions were caged, which was Trowa's favourite spot in the entire camp.

The male with whom Trowa had befriended when he first arrived looked up and made a slight growl in annoyance with having been woken up, but otherwise remained silent as he stared at her.

"I'm guessing you don't believe Mariemaia's press release either, do you boy?"

The lion yawned in response to her question as she sat on a crate.

"He never talked much about where he was during that time he was missing before… I doubt he'll tell me anything again." She chuckled and shook her head as the lion simply stared at her. "So much for acting like a big sister to him… Can't be a good big sister if you don't know anything, right?"

The lion casually stretched out his forepaws and yawned in response.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "And here I am talking to a lion… now who's the crazy one, Catherine?" She muttered as she stood up. "Sorry I woke you… you can go back to sleep now." She said with a slight wave before leaving the lion, which dropped his head heavily onto the cage floor and closed his eyes with a deep breath like a sigh.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>**s:** Sorry about the delay. Again. I blame The Old Republic. Yes. I fell victim to that game. I'm sorry. Anyways, this is a peek into what's going on back in the A.C. Universe. Sorry it's short, but there's less characters to deal with this time around. If you're wondering where Rashid is during the Maganac section... why are you still reading this story? Go back and read the second part! Shoo! (ahem) I apologize again, but lots happened in the second part that affects this part in some way. If you didn't, then please, PLEASE go back and read part 2. I mean it. Not much else to say about this chapter. We go back to the others next chapter.


	6. Reunion on the Battlefield

Chapter 6: Reunion on the Battlefield

Duo yawned as they entered the bridge of the Eternal. "Hey Lacus, been a while!"

Lacus couldn't help but smile at the five pilots. "Indeed it has… I am glad you are all safe."

"So you guys planning on staying on the sidelines this time?" Andrew asked curiously.

"Forget it… it didn't work out so well for us last time, so we've decided to join you." Quatre answered with a shake of his head.

Andrew chuckled in amusement. "Good to hear it, we can use all the help we can get."

"Your friends are in the lounge… there isn't much we can do until Mr. DaCosta returns, so please feel free to join them. If we need you, we will ask for your help." Lacus said as she worriedly examined the Eternal's radar systems for any sign of the former ZAFT soldier.

Everyone turned to leave the bridge and join their fellow A.C. universe companions when Lacus spoke again.

"Mr. Maxwell?"

Duo froze and motioned for the others to go ahead as she approached.

She looked up at him in concern as she traced a finger along the scar he had received the last time he had helped her. "I'm still so sorry about that. I should have done further research before sending you there."

He took her hand from his face as he shook his head. "Nah, its fine Lacus… it was an honour to help… although it doesn't seem to have helped your situation any." He said as he looked around in concern.

She sighed and shook her head. "I never even got a chance to propose it to either of the leaders. Which is why I must apologise to you… you risked your life to bring me those plans and yet I never did anything with them."

"I ain't accepting any apology from you until you tell me what you personally plan to do about this mess." Duo growled in annoyance, causing her to look up at him in surprise.

"I-I think once we deal with this situation, I may have to take matters into my own hands…" She said uncertainly.

Duo nodded in approval. "There. I'll take that instead. You're a frighteningly strong girl, but sometimes even the strong ones need a nudge in the right direction, and it's why I ain't taking an apology from you. Do what you think is right and stop sitting on the sidelines and hoping that other people will do the work for you, it doesn't work that way. Trust me, we know from experience."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you Mr. Maxwell… I'm usually the one giving out advice, but it seems that I still need advice from time to time."

Duo nodded in approval again before leaving the bridge to join the rest.

Andrew chuckled and shook his head. "Sometimes that one surprises me."

"I agree… they seem to keep reminding us about things we miss or forget when you least expect it." She said with a frown as she looked at the radar again.

Andrew grinned. "Yeah, I heard from Murrue what they did for Kira when they first arrived. I must say, Duo was a lot gentler with you than Heero was with Kira."

Lacus tried to fight a smile as she continued to study the radar. "Yes… he told me about that… albeit rather reluctantly. I'm going to check on how the situation is at the factory, please keep me informed." She said before she left the bridge to salutes from the crew.

* * *

><p>Relena stood up in surprise as Heero and the others entered the lounge.<p>

"I was starting to wonder when you'd show up." Sally said wryly.

"We ran into some problems down there, and an old ally." Wufei answered dismissively as the pilots sat around the Defence Council and Relena.

"We wanted you to know that we're not going to be here long. Things are becoming problematic and we're going to fight alongside the kid and his allies again." Heero warned and received an understanding nod from Relena.

"Just as long as you don't do anything reckless… I want all of us to return to our universe as healthy as we can be when the time comes."

"Speaking of which… that may be a while, what do you think will happen in the meantime?" Quatre asked in concern.

"Mariemaia will have everything in hand, I'm sure she's come up with a good excuse." Une said reassuringly with a confirming nod from Relena.

The pilots instinctively jumped up when an alert sounded around the Eternal before Lacus appeared on a screen in the lounge.

"_Do not be alarmed but Mr. DaCosta was followed from the mission we sent him on, and so the Eternal is taking off."_

"Do you want us to handle your tail?" Trowa asked but Lacus shook her head.

"_The Eternal is still one of the fastest ships in space; we should be able to outrun them… however…"_ She looked away towards something off screen in concern before returning her attention to them. _"If it should become trouble, we're going to make a break for the atmosphere and drop a pod down to the Archangel. It will be up to you if you want to rendezvous with the Archangel and its crew when we drop the pod or stay here, but it may be beneficial for you to join the Archangel at this time. They could use all the help they can get; you are probably already aware of the condition they're in."_

The pilots nodded in understanding.

"We'll wait to drop with the pod." Heero answered and the others nodded in agreement.

"_I understand… please be prepared for a rough wait."_ Lacus said before the screen went dark.

"Stay here you guys, the Eternal will take care of you. We're going to wait in our Gundams for the drop." Duo said with a wave as Relena watched them leave the lounge in concern before the Eternal shuddered as it discarded its camouflage and took off, causing her to sit down and concentrate on keeping herself from falling as the Eternal sped away from its pursuers.

With no options left to them and their pursuers closing in, Andrew took off in his custom GAIA, a transforming Gundam like the Aegis, but it's appearance was more like an upgraded BuCUE with a paint scheme similar to that of his old LaGOWE.

Before the pilots could join him in battle, the Strike Rouge appeared with the help of boosters and joined the fight.

"_What should we do?"_ Quatre asked as they watched the battle outside from a feed they were given from the bridge.

"_Stay in… the kid will be coming in soon, he's getting trashed out there in the Strike. We'll keep our involvement to a minimum until we join the Archangel."_ Heero replied as the alert went out about the Strike Rouge coming in for an emergency landing.

"_Damn all this waiting is getting on my nerves!"_ Wufei growled as the Altron's eyes flared and the roar of activation was heard.

"_Shut it down Wufei… see? We don't need to get involved."_ Trowa said as the new and improved Strike Freedom launched from the Eternal and began completely disabling the ZAFT mobile suits and the ships.

Duo's impressed whistle was echoed in the other pilots' expressions. _"It looks like he may actually be a match for you now, Heero. Wanna try playing with him again?"_

Heero shot a dark look at Duo's grinning face as the Strike Freedom and the GAIA returned.

"_Let's keep our arrival a secret to him… it will be amusing to see his face when we join him in battle."_ Everyone looked at Heero as though he had lost his mind before shaking their heads.

* * *

><p><em>Down on Earth, Gilbert Durandal had launched his attack against Logos and its supporters who had holed themselves up at a fortress-like location known as Heaven's Base; however the one target they wanted above all else had escaped to Orb. This resulted in ZAFT and its Anti-Logos allies setting their sights on the island country, and the Seiran Family who were in charge of Orb due to Cagalli's absence have made the situation for the county extremely dire by sheltering Logos' leader: Lord Djibril and denying his presence, forcing Cagalli in her new Akatsuki Gundam and the Archangel to come out of hiding in order to fight the massive force unleashed by Gilbert Durandal, which includes the Minerva and its new Gundams: the Destiny and the Legend…<em>

The Destiny was launched as Orb's defences suddenly appeared to have gotten themselves together to properly defend their border, hoping the powerful Gundam would be able to cut through their defensive lines.

Its arrival forced Cagalli and her Akatsuki to cut him off as she personally took it upon herself to stop the fearsome enemy from advancing onto the island itself.

Aboard the Archangel, Athrun and Meyrin Hawke, sister of Minerva pilot Lunamaria, have joined the Archangel's crew in the CIC section and prisoner Neo Roanoke has been set free in a SkyGrasper due to regulations about holding prisoners while in battle. The Minerva and the Archangel, after both crews get over the surprise of the other ship's presence, head out to attack each other as the Akatsuki begins to struggle against the Destiny.

Before the Destiny could destroy the Akatsuki, its attacks were negated by a timely rescue thanks to the Strike Freedom, which had brought its brother suit, the Infinite Justice, with Lacus directing it towards the safety of the Archangel to be handed over to its intended pilot: Athrun.

After the initial shock wore off at the appearance of an enemy he thought he destroyed, Shinn and the Destiny fought the Strike Freedom with all of his might despite the fact that his suit was nearing the critical point from an extensive draining of the Destiny's energy.

Terminal, the new group formed from the remnants of the Three Ships Alliance that united all three factions together, sent down their three DOM Trooper suits to help Orb's defence of its lands. With them came another surprise that nobody on either side of the battlefield had been prepared for…

* * *

><p>A DINN decided to take advantage of the Destiny's distraction of the Strike Freedom to try and shoot it down from behind.<p>

The Strike Freedom noticed and broke away from the Destiny to try and attack the DINN, only to watch a beam scythe attached to a heat rod slice it easily in half.

"_What the…?"_ Kira asked in surprise before a familiar voice spoke.

"_Hey kid, how many times have we told you to watch your back? Just because you're in a fancy new suit doesn't mean you can just ignore your back!"_

"_Duo, what the heck are you doing here?"_ He asked as the Deathscythe Hell materialized beside the Strike Freedom, much to the frustration of Shinn.

An incoming alert barely gave him time to react and dodge a massive eruption of energy before Rey called the Destiny back to recharge, adding more frustration to the young angry pilot's emotional instability as the Wing Zero stood on the other side of the Strike Freedom with its buster rifle pointed directly at the Destiny before it was forced to retreat back to the Minerva.

"_We're here because you obviously haven't learned anything."_

Kira flinched at the icy tone coming from the Wing Zero's pilot. _"Are the others here as well?"_

"_They're helping defend the beaches."_ Duo answered casually.

"_We should head over there too, but be ready; you never know when that suit will show up again."_

Kira nodded as the Strike Freedom, Wing Zero and Deathscythe Hell made their way towards the beaches.

"_How did you guys end up back here and when?"_ Kira asked in concern.

"_We came back the same way we left. Annoying as that is, it's the truth. We haven't been here long, but we've already been caught up on the situation. Good job on trying to keep the peace, by the way."_ Duo said with a slight bit of annoyance in his voice.

"_Don't mind him, Kira. We're here to help you guys in any way we can."_ Quatre replied as the Sandrock fired its new sub-machine gun at an area below the three suits where an ASH had leapt out of the water, apparently with the intention of dragging the Strike Freedom into the water.

The three suits dodged the explosion before landing beside the Sandrock.

"_Thanks for the cover fire, Quatre."_ Kira said in relief.

"_This is far from over_…_ don't let your guard down no matter what_…_ Who knows what else that ship's crew has up its sleeves?"_ Heero said coldly as the Wing Zero began destroying a new landing force from one of the other ships that ZAFT had sent against Orb.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>**:** Merry Christmas everyone! Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. I figured I would give you all a present by actually releasing a chapter today, even though it's not Christmas anymore.

Yep. Everyone's back together again. Yay! (ahem) Anyways, before somebody says something about Shinn, I figured I would defend myself in advanced. At this point and onward, Shinn is exactly as I said he was: emotionally unstable. One could even argue that he's borderline insane by this point. He is always angry in battle, except when his SEED Mode activates, and especially right now because he'd been so happy to see the Freedom die and now here it is again stronger than ever. Shinn is almost always featured only in battle because I decided to focus on the Wing Pilots and the Archangel crew, so his portrayal will almost always be the angry Shinn. Sorry about that in advanced.

Yes, the Heat Scythe makes an appearance again. Duo knew he wouldn't have made it fast enough to attack at close range, so he had no choice but to activate the heat rod in order to attack the DINN. Also, the Sandrock finally has its sub-machine gun after two whole stories. Yay! It doesn't get much use because Quatre needs to preserve the ammunition and he prefers to fight with the Heat Shotels, but it does get used occasionally.

Hope you enjoy this chapter!


	7. Resolve

Chapter 7: Resolve

As the Seiran family was deposed and Cagalli retook command of Orb, the hunt began for Lord Djibril in an attempt to stop Durandal's attack on Orb.

"_If you guys can handle these annoyances, I'm going to help with the hunt for the scumbag responsible for all of this."_ Wufei growled as the Altron's dragon claws crushed the heads of two GOUF units before tossing them towards two more that had been coming up behind them, quickly pulling out its trident and slicing the suits in half before breaking away from the resultant explosion.

"_Don't worry about us, we have this under control."_ Trowa replied casually as the Heavyarms slashed through the waist of a BABI that had tried to slip past it.

Due to the uncertainty of how long they would be in this universe this time and the certainty that this battle was nothing but a small skirmish compared to what would lie ahead if things were allowed to escalate, Trowa had decided to conserve the Heavyarms' ammunition stores despite the fact that they had been filled before the escort mission.

This seemed to cause the ZAFT forces to think it would be easy to get past the Heavyarms; however the suit was proving to be just as effective at keeping them from advancing as the other Gundams.

The Altron turned and headed towards Orb's base of operations in order to see where Cagalli would want him to search, leaving the DOM Troopers to prevent any enemies from getting through.

"_Heads up, here comes trouble from that ship."_ Duo said with an annoyed shake of his head as the Destiny re-launched, this time with the Legend following closely behind.

"_Want any help?"_

Kira suppressed the surprise from Heero's question as he shook his head. _"__Its fine guys_…_ protecting Orb is more important. If they get past me though_…_"_

"_We understand. Get out there and stop making novice pilot mistakes or else."_ Heero snapped, causing Kira to smile slightly as the Strike Freedom flew out to meet the two suits.

"_Are you sure it's wise of us to let him fight two special suits, possibly Gundams, alone?"_ Quatre asked in concern on their private channel as the Sandrock switched to its Heat Shotels to slice through an enemy unit.

"_I think he wants Athrun to wake up and remember what he fought for in the last war. If he does, that new Justice should come out to join the fight; if not_…_ we'll get involved if it looks like trouble for him."_ Trowa said as the Heavyarms lured a few suits into the DOM Troopers' line of fire before heading inland as signals appeared out of apparently nowhere to attack Orb's Murasame forces that were holding a secondary line of defence.

"_Hey guys, we have trouble inland: they have drillers."_

"_Quatre, go_…_ Duo and I will hold things up here."_ The Sandrock acknowledged the Wing Zero before heading inland to help the Heavyarms and Murasames.

"_I hope these guys let up soon_…_"_ Duo growled in annoyance to Heero on a separate communication line.

"_How are you doing?"_ Heero asked warily.

"_I can still tell you and the others from the enemies, but only because I've known your suits long enough to have their appearances memorized. If the Freedom or any of our other this-universe allies were to come up to me though_…_"_ He trailed off as the Deathscythe Hell slashed at a GOUF that had lunged at it with its beam sword aimed at the Deathscythe Hell's cockpit, severing its outstretched arm before throwing the rest of the mobile suit towards the Wing Zero, who finished it off with ease.

"_Understood_…_ I'll alert you if an ally is closing in."_

"_That'll work out just fine. In the meanwhile, let's keep taking out the trash."_

"_If it gets worse_…_"_

"_Don't worry, I'll tell you. I'm not that crazy."_

"_Now I know why you don't lie_…_ you're terrible at it."_

"_Hey!"_

* * *

><p>As the battle continued down on Earth, the Eternal had gone into hiding once again until the situation settled or worsened, but it was making its own plans in the event of the latter situation.<p>

"I think it's best to wait until it's confirmed that the fighting is over before you try to contact your pilots, Miss Relena. Knowing them, they're right in the thick of things now…" Andrew said as Relena came onto the bridge of the Eternal.

She shook her head as she stood beside him. "Don't worry; I know them well enough to know that you're absolutely right. That's exactly what they'd be doing, even if I tried to change their minds. They'd probably start having an attitude about it not being our universe, and that means I have no authority over what they do."

Andrew chuckled in amusement. "I really doubt that last part, though. So what brings you up here, then?" He asked in concern.

"I guess you could say I'm just curious about this universe. Ever since we came on this ship, we haven't had a good opportunity to speak with anybody from this universe besides Lacus, and even that was before that Kira person came."

"Yeah, things like that tend to happen when you're the second most wanted people in the system. At least by the government…"

"Heero and the others can understand what it's like, considering what had happened to them during the course of the Eve Wars."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Gundam pilots always seem to be the first ones to feel the brunt of trouble whenever there's war." Andrew said grimly as he looked at the radar to make sure there were no ZAFT patrols in the area.

"Commander Waltfeld, there's an incoming notice from one of our people on Orb! A shuttle just fled the island and is heading for space! If we leave now, we may be able to intercept it." A member of the Eternal's CIC told him in concern.

Relena looked down at the veteran soldier as he closed his eyes in thought.

"We're not to intercept. We can't run the risk of exposing ourselves to a fleet of ZAFT forces that may be lurking out there." He growled.

"Even if it is that man ZAFT is seeking?" Relena asked even though she already knew what he would say.

"I hate it just as much as you do, Miss Relena, but that's the way we have to play this situation. As much as I would love to chase that shuttle down and turn it into nothing but space debris, the Eternal still has its orders from Lacus. We're to remain in hiding until things are clear. Speaking of which… how are your people holding up? They haven't gone into any sort of shock or anything from being in this different universe have they?"

Relena smiled and shook her head. "Admittedly, if any of us were to get shock, it'd probably be me first. All of them are highly trained soldiers, even my brother, but I'm just a simple rich girl whose life was turned on its head thanks to those five down on your Earth."

Andrew laughed and nodded before becoming solemn again. "Yeah, that tends to happen in war… even the kid was a resident of a neutral colony who thought that the war would never reach his little colony, only to become a mobile suit pilot to protect his friends' lives after they were taken in by the Earth Forces vessel that's now our best ally."

"Why does it keep happening, though?"

"Unlike in your universe, we have basically two different species of human, at least, that's how some people see it. And of course, those same people want it to be only one species like it was before, so they throw together any excuse they can to initiate a war as an excuse to wipe us Co-ordinators out."

"Too many people in both of our universes have sick minds." Milliardo's angry growl came from behind them as he entered the bridge.

"I agree with you all the way." Andrew replied with a similar growl.

"Relena, Noin wishes to speak to you about something."

Relena nodded in understanding and put a grateful hand on Andrew's shoulder. "Thanks for humouring an ignorant person like myself."

Andrew scoffed at her. "You're far from ignorant, girl, even if you aren't from this universe."

Milliardo nodded to Andrew, who returned the nod as Relena and Milliardo left the bridge.

* * *

><p>ZAFT had pulled out on the orders of Talia Gladys, the Captain of the Minerva, allowing Orb to begin assessing the damage.<p>

Athrun had reopened his wounds because of the battle with the Destiny and was resting in the Archangel's medical bay.

Kira, Lacus and Meyrin stood around his bed when he awoke.

"Jeeze, sometimes I can't tell who's more reckless: us or you guys. I guess it doesn't matter which universe you're in: Gundam pilots are all stubborn morons." Duo said as they came in to check on Athrun.

Quatre looked at him sceptically. "You do realize you just insulted yourself as well, right?"

"I know, and I said it because it's true. I'll even admit to being a stubborn moron."

"Personally, I think he's just protecting himself from getting killed by Wufei and Heero for that comment." Trowa said wryly as he took notice of the glares Wufei and Heero were directing at Duo.

Meyrin stared at the five men in confusion as Kira, Lacus and Athrun burst out into laughter.

Athrun winced and stopped laughing as he looked up at the veterans. "Thanks for that, Duo."

Duo bowed and hissed as Heero struck him in the back.

"Don't mind them, we've already gotten used to how they act." Kira explained to Meyrin, which only seemed to confuse the new person more.

"Welcome to the good guys… at least, they're good enough to earn our trust… and I'll admit for most of us… that's hard to earn." Quatre said as he glanced between Heero and Wufei.

"Uhm… thanks…?" She said uncertainly.

Kira chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry to interrupt, but Cagalli's going to make a speech now. Can we use your TV, Athrun?"

"Uhm… sure." Athrun said uncertainly as Kira turned on the TV beside Athrun's bed.

As Cagalli spoke, the impersonator Lacus cut off her transmission and began speaking in a way that was obviously meant to turn the people of the world against Orb.

"Well? What are you going to do?" Duo asked darkly, looking directly at the real Lacus as she stood beside Kira.

She stared knowingly at Duo before turning to Kira, who nodded in understanding.

"Uh… Lacus?" Athrun asked in concern.

"Don't worry Athrun… just like you; I now know what I have to do." She nodded to Kira before the Gundam pilots parted to let them leave.

"Now things are getting interesting." Wufei commented casually, ignoring the confused looks he was receiving from Meyrin and Athrun.

"It looks as though things will be taking a bit of a break for now… get some rest, Athrun. We're going to need you at full strength when the time comes." Trowa said as the other pilots left his room.

Trowa left just as the impersonator Lacus was cut off by the real Lacus, who stood beside Cagalli and began addressing the Earth and the Plants in hopes of trying to repair some of the damage Durandal and Djibril had caused.

"You know… all this is going to do is confuse the civilians, right?" Quatre asked in concern once they were away from his room.

The others nodded grimly.

"They've been lead to believe that Lacus has been by the Chairman's side this entire time, so having her appear in two places at once, and one of them with the country being blamed for sheltering the world's number one enemy…" Trowa allowed his words to trail off; knowing the others already knew what he would have said.

"What should we do? Personally go and deal with Djibril ourselves?" Wufei asked icily.

"No… Although that will solve one problem, I have a feeling that Durandal is waiting for Djibril to be killed so that he can reveal his true intentions, whatever they may be. We have to move carefully… this man is like Treize was… except I doubt he has Treize's sense of honour…" Heero said with a tone that somehow managed to be colder than Wufei's as they went to their room, which had been assigned to them just before they went to check on Athrun.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Happy New Year everyone! The first chapter of the new year is rather short. Then again, as I've said earlier: this entire story is shorter in comparison.

If my current experiment with my Fullmetal Alchemist story works out for the better, I may do the same thing to this series. What am I doing? I'm using the original document as a guideline and redoing it in a completely different document. It seems to be working, but Alchemist and Gundam are two very different series and I took two very different approaches to making them, so taking this approach may not work out as well with Gundam. If I do decide to go through with this, it won't happen for a very long time. If I do, the series will be reposted on my profile page. So even after this series is long done, please keep an eye on my profile for news!

As I said before, the poor sub-machine gun gets ignored. At least in this case, Quatre's reasons are the same as Trowa's: they're conserving their ammunition for the bigger battles up ahead. And of course, the Wing pilots are conveniently kept away from fighting specialized suits because of whatever reason I can come up with that's convenient. Yeah. I'll admit my own laziness when it comes to the third story. Trying to analyze which would win in a fight between the Wing series Gundams and the new Seed Destiny upgrades would be too much of a hassle. They're probably even, though the Wing Gundams would have the advantage because they aren't limited in their piloting time like the Seed Destiny ones are.

That's all I really have to say about this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!


	8. Requiem

Chapter 8: Requiem

Aboard the Minerva, Rey informed Lunamaria that Athrun had been a part of the battle, which meant her sister may be alive on the Archangel as well.

After the shock of that knowledge had worn off, she frowned in concern as Rey reviewed footage from the battle.

"Who were those five that showed up halfway through the battle?" She asked curiously, not noticing the silent snarl of fury on Shinn's face as she leaned between him and Rey to get a better look at the footage.

"I recognize them from the previous war… it seems as though all the old ghosts of that war enjoy showing up to sew confusion amongst the people." Rey said coldly as he brought up footage from the First Bloody Valentine War that showed the five A.C. universe Gundams battling alongside the original Freedom and Justice.

"One of them was a ZAFT soldier for a short time too." He said as he typed something and a file appeared with Heero's picture. "I recognized him back at Gibraltar because I happened to see him while I was visiting some… family… at the time."

"Is that why you stopped at that monitor? To report him?"

Rey seemed to ignore Lunamaria's question as he brought up another file.

"Hey! How'd you get access to that?" She asked in surprise as she recognized it as Gibraltar's detainee records.

"It's just as I figured… he was caught, but he broke out when Athrun had the entire facility's attention…"

"That's pretty bold considering there were guards crawling everywhere."

"Not really… they weren't looking for a soldier that had just broken out of a detention facility, they were looking for Athrun Zala. It was a smart move on his part… he could have pretended to be one of the soldiers looking for Athrun, then make his escape."

"I think he's a coward for escaping instead of facing his fate." Shinn snarled, causing Lunamaria to jump up in surprise.

"Personally, I think he was spying on ZAFT for the enemy from the inside. However, we have no proof of anything except that he betrayed us just after a surprise attack by the Earth Forces. I don't think he intended to get caught, but he did contact Athrun before he was… it adds more proof to the accusation that Athrun was a spy, especially since Athrun fled that night."

Lunamaria's sad expression was lost in the storm of fire and ice that were Shinn and Rey's expressions.

"I almost had the Freedom if it weren't for those two…" He growled as he pointed at the Deathscythe Hell and the Wing Zero.

"I'm guessing the next time we enter battle, you want those two personally?" Rey asked coldly.

"No… As much as I would love to be the one to destroy them, I know that's a crazy thing to try and do." Shinn said reluctantly as Rey nodded in agreement.

Lunamaria looked between her two fellow pilots in concern.

"You're absolutely right. Unlike the Freedom, who is fighting to disarm, these five…" He switched to footage from the beaches of Onogoro showing the five Gundams and the Strike Freedom. "…are fighting to kill. It will be much harder to fight them because it's a completely different style of fighting, not to mention one of them seems to have stealth capabilities. From what I've seen of just this footage, they don't even use the same strategies each time…"

Shinn nodded as he hung on to his fellow pilot's every word as Rey began telling them what he could tell about the five Gundams.

Lunamaria paid attention as well, knowing she would have to fight them too, but she worried about why they would suddenly show up now when they hadn't been seen since the previous war.

* * *

><p><em>Concern about what would happen with Djibril loose hovered over everyone who had been trying to catch him. Their concerns were quickly realized when the Daedalus lunar base on the dark side of the moon launched an attack using old colonies as relay points to bend a powerful energy beam cannon known as the Requiem System to attack the Plants, destroying Januarius 1 through 4 and causing December 7 and 8 to collapse from an impact with Januarius 4. Millions of Co-ordinators were killed and it was only a matter of time before Djibril fired the Requiem again. The Minerva launched, heading to space in order to help the space forces destroy the Requiem before it could recharge, because its next target would be the Plant Supreme Council's main base of operations: Aprilius 1.<em>

Aboard the Eternal, Relena and the others were horrified by the sheer destruction one weapon could cause.

"They told us about that GENESIS weapon, but I didn't believe them…" Sally said weakly.

"How could such weapons be allowed to be made?" Noin asked.

"They're allowed because they are kept secret until they're fired. Our systems are limited because of the different jammers floating around, which makes it easy for super weapons like the GENESIS and this thing to be made without anyone knowing about them until it's too late to prevent them from being fired at something…" Andrew growled as he entered.

Milliardo shook his head in disbelief. "I'm guessing that's the sign that this war is just about to get much worse?"

Andrew nodded. "Last time, it was the revelation that the Earth Forces had their nuclear weapons back… this time it's that thing firing. I just hope it can be ended before things become too bad."

DaCosta entered and saluted. "Sir, the Archangel will be leaving tomorrow morning. They're headed for the moon, but we'll be rendezvousing with them after they've gathered information on what's happening in the Plants."

"I understand, thanks DaCosta." He turned back to the Defence Council. "Well, there you have it. We may be forced to enter battle, but I can assure you we'll keep you all safe. This ship won't fail us, especially not with all those Gundams fighting for us. I hope you won't have to enter the battle, Milliardo, but if you do, please stay close to the Eternal. That way you can stick to your promise not to get involved, but you'll also be protecting Miss Relena."

Milliardo nodded in understanding. "We're mobile suit pilots too, so we'd offer to protect the Eternal as well, but without knowing the controls for your mobile suits…" Noin trailed off and shook her head.

"You'd just be offering yourself up as bait for enemy forces. Yeah, I know it's tough to sit on the sidelines, but you'll have to. I just hope things in your world aren't falling apart without you guys there." Andrew admitted as he finished her thoughts for her.

"Don't worry, as long as Mariemaia is in charge, things should be running smoothly… I just hope we won't be here much longer." Une said in concern.

"Well, it took the GENESIS' destruction to send your guys home, maybe we'll see another explosion on that scale this time… just as long as nobody is caught up by it. I hate hoping for something like that, but if it's the only way to send you guys home…"

Relena and the others nodded in agreement with Andrew's sentiments as they watched the battle to stop the Requiem.

"This was a wise move on his part… show the people that ZAFT is fighting to stop the bad guys, make them look like the good guys, then spring a plan on them that would have been taken as an evil, or even downright insane, plan before seeing Djibril and what he did to the Plants." Une observed, receiving a nod of agreement from Andrew.

"Yep… he certainly is quite the chess master… unfortunately the unsuspecting public are the pawns…"

* * *

><p>While the battle to stop the Requiem from firing became a victory for ZAFT with Djibril killed while trying to flee, the Archangel down in Orb had finished preparing for heading into space the next morning.<p>

The ship was quiet as everyone got some rest before the busy days ahead, but Kira was wandering the ship after having a discussion with Athrun.

He was surprised to see Heero and Duo walking towards him, and apparently the two pilots were surprised to see anyone awake from their reactions as he approached.

"Sheesh, why are you such a night owl?" Duo asked as they stopped to talk.

Kira shrugged uncertainly. "I just can't seem to sleep… especially not with Durandal's plans hanging over our heads like they are."

"I can understand that, especially since we have no clue what he's up to… anyways, I'll go on ahead." Duo said as he received a nod from Heero, both pilots ignoring the curious look they were receiving from Kira as Duo continued down the hall.

"Don't be ashamed of your skills, even if they're not skills you want to be proud of." Kira stared at Heero in surprise. "The only thing most of us are good for is fighting, but we use that to protect what we believe in… just like you are."

Kira nodded in understanding as Heero began leaving to follow Duo.

"Wait!" Kira said, freezing the older pilot in his tracks and making him turn his head slightly to look back at the younger pilot. "I want to thank you for what you did the last time you were here… I know I was being an idiot and my behaviour was foolish, and I thank you for helping me to see the truth… even if it took me a while to realize what it was that I was seeing." He said as he looked down at the floor.

One quick glance saw Heero nod in response before continuing to walk away.

Kira sighed in relief as though a great weight was lifted from his shoulders, and it was then that he realized he had actually been worried about the older pilot not accepting his gratitude. Though he wondered where the two pilots were going, he figured they were also unable to sleep and continued to wander the ship for a time before heading back to his quarters.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Cutting it in under the wire! Sorry about that. Busy day today. The trio aboard the Minerva get a bit of spotlight time in this chapter. Please don't get mad about how Shinn is portrayed. From what I've seen of him, he's always rather upset whenever something doesn't go quite as planned. Like for example, interference in a battle that he thought he was on the verge of winning. The Wing pilots' interference has earned them his ire just as easily as Kira and Athrun got it. And the hatchet is finally buried between Heero and Kira. Yay! Hope you enjoy this small chapter.


	9. Copernicus

Chapter 9: Copernicus

As everyone gathered for Cagalli's speech regarding the Archangel's inclusion into the Orb's second space fleet, Athrun noticed something odd about everyone gathered.

"Kira… does anything look off to you?" He asked as Kira and Lacus walked past.

Kira blinked and looked around. "Where are they?" Lacus asked with a frown of concern.

"That's what we were just about to ask you guys." Quatre said as they appeared behind Athrun, Kira and Lacus.

"We haven't seen them since last night." Trowa said as he looked around the mobile suit bay where some Murasame, the Strike Freedom, Infinite Justice and Akatsuki had been loaded and the other Gundams were being secured.

"Where could Heero and Duo have gone? And they took their Gundams." Murrue's concerned voice reached them as she and Neo Roanoke, who had remained despite being set free because of some memories that had begun troubling him, approached the group.

"We don't know… that's what we were just trying to figure out." Wufei answered in annoyance.

"I saw them last night… and I even talked to them. They seemed surprised to see anyone up and about though… now that I think about it, they may have been trying to leave without being noticed… but I didn't think they'd leave when we were headed for space so soon." Kira admitted thoughtfully.

"They never told any of us that they were leaving, that's the problem. They just vanished last night" Trowa's tone made it clear that the normally cool pilot was annoyed with his fellow pilots.

"What were they thinking?" Athrun asked.

"Who knows? So long as they didn't go to the Plants…" Murrue said uncertainly as Kisaka approached.

"A transport was stolen last night and took off for space. Be careful when you head out, who knows what could be on it?"

"Heero and Duo." Almost everyone gathered answered in unison, causing Kisaka to stare at them in surprise.

"They vanished last night and nobody's seen them since." Kisaka frowned at Quatre's statement before he shook his head.

"It's too late to concern ourselves with them now… get into place, Cagalli's coming to make her speech."

Everyone nodded and got into their places among the ranks or in front of the rows of the Orb soldiers that had become the Archangel's crew.

* * *

><p>Milliardo frowned as he sat in the Tallgeese III's cockpit and stared at the image of Quatre. "Are you certain about that?"<p>

"_Unfortunately, yes_…_ they're gone. Keep a look out for them coming to the Eternal, they may be going there to spread our forces out between the two ships."_

"Without telling anyone?" Quatre shrugged his shoulders uncertainly.

"_You know Heero_…_ he does whatever he wants and doesn't care about what others think. Duo probably decided to go with him to keep him from doing something suicidal."_

"I see… well, we'll keep an eye out for them here… in the meantime, you're in charge of keeping Trowa and Wufei in line."

Quatre smirked in bemusement. _"Trowa keeps himself in line_…_ Wufei on the other hand_…_ I can see your point. He may just slip away once we're in Copernicus to see if he can track down Heero and Duo."_

"Copernicus?"

"_Yes, it's where we will be going to meet up with the rest of the space fleet and gather information about what's happening. It's on the moon. We'll probably disembark when we're allowed to do some digging ourselves. Be careful not to run into any trouble out there."_

"I could say the same to you three…"

"_Oh, and don't tell Relena_…_ we don't want to worry her over something trivial like this."_

Milliardo nodded in understanding as Quatre cut off their communications.

Milliardo stepped out of the Tallgeese III to the rest of the Defence Council standing below. "Heero and Duo are M.I.A… but they may be heading here. Quatre and the others are going to see if they can find out any information on where they could have gone."

Noin rolled her eyes. "Those two enjoy giving us problems, don't they?"

"This doesn't surprise me at all… I'll go tell Andrew to be on the lookout for a transport or their Gundams. We don't want them shot down due to mistaken identity." Une said as she turned and left.

Sally sighed. "I guess we're keeping this from Relena, right?"

"That's what Quatre said to do… it is better not to trouble her with this problem until we know it actually is a problem." The two women nodded and followed Milliardo out of the hangar, hoping that Heero and Duo weren't doing anything that would get them killed before they had a chance to return home…

* * *

><p>As soon as the ship was docked and the all-clear was given, the three Gundam pilots disembarked and began scouring the city for information, hoping their two rogue pilot friends came to the civilian city on the moon if they didn't go to the Eternal.<p>

Hours of searching turned up nothing and they were beginning to get frustrated when they came across four familiar faces browsing the store windows, trying to decide which store to enter.

"Are you guys enjoying the sights?" Quatre asked in amusement as they approached Athrun, Lacus, Kira and Meyrin.

Lacus smiled and nodded from beneath the hood of the dark pink cloak she was wearing. "Oh yes, it has been such a long time since I've been somewhere that isn't a ship."

Wufei noticed Athrun's agitation and shook his head. "I know you're trying to keep Lacus safe, but if you look too much like you're keeping a look out, all it will do is force your enemies to attack from the shadows. And all that will do will make your job harder."

Athrun was startled by his comment, but nodded reluctantly and tried to look a bit more relaxed.

Meyrin's curiosity got the better of her and she spoke before she could stop herself. "Who are you guys anyways?" She made a squeaking noise and covered her mouth in embarrassment as they looked down at her.

"We're outsiders lending a hand to some friends who helped us in our time of need." Trowa answered casually.

Kira smiled and shook his head at Meyrin's confused expression. "They aren't from this universe… I can't explain it, but they're from an alternate universe and they ended up here during the first war. They left the same way they came at the end of the war, and I had hoped that was the last we'd see of them… but I guess it was too much to hope they'd stay in their own universe."

"Unfortunately, this time we brought our leaders by accident. You could say it was an escort mission gone wrong." Quatre said with a slightly embarrassed shrug.

"I assume you guys are here looking for Heero and Duo, right?" Athrun asked.

"Yeah, if you catch sight of either of them while you're here, please let us know. Don't try to confront them yourselves, it may be dangerous."

Meyrin stared at them in surprise as the others nodded in understanding. "But… aren't they your friends?"

"Friends could be used to describe them in the best of times… unwilling allies is what I'd call them most of the time though." Kira answered and receiving amused nods of agreement from the older pilots.

"We'll leave you to continue your shopping. Be careful you four."

"Good luck trying to find those two." The two groups parted ways as Lacus found a clothing store she wanted to enter.

* * *

><p>As the pilots walked towards a fountain, a man wearing sunglasses caught their attention.<p>

"Hey… is that…?" Trowa asked uncertainly as his eyes narrowed to get a better look at the man as he walked amongst the crowds.

"I think it is… let's get him." Quatre said grimly as he pointed in two different directions.

Trowa and Wufei nodded in understanding and slipped away into the crowds as Quatre began walking casually towards the man.

The man didn't seem to notice him or the two other pilots approaching him from two other sides, until he looked sideways and caught sight of Wufei reaching out to grab him.

Their suspicions were confirmed when the man moved swiftly, punching Wufei in the stomach to wind him and kicking a fast moving Trowa in the leg before bolting.

"Are you two all right?" Quatre asked as he paused to check on them.

"We're fine! Get that son of a bitch!" Wufei snarled in anger as Quatre nodded quickly and took off after the man.

He chased him for almost two blocks before a group of tourists got between him and the man, causing him to let a curse of frustration slip out as he was forced to stop to avoid running into any of the tourists.

By the time the group had passed, Wufei and Trowa had limped up to him and the man was gone.

"That was Heero all right…" Wufei growled as he rested a hand on his stomach.

"What are they doing here?" Trowa asked as he gingerly tested his wounded leg and frowned.

"I don't know… but let's head back to the ship to get your wounds checked out… I have a bad feeling about things to come…" Quatre said in concern as he allowed Trowa to lean on him.

Wufei refused his offer of help as the three pilots headed back to the Archangel.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Chapters will now be uploaded later on Mondays than usual because I now have a job. Meaning I can't upload during the day like I used to. But it's all right because I still intend to upload on Mondays. Anyways. Onto chapter notes.

Another small chapter. Which is the norm for this story. Sorry. Elements from the TV series have been left out because, well, you already know what happens to Lacus and the gang after this part. As for why Heero was on Copernicus? I haven't the foggiest. I never did figure out that reason. Is Duo with him? Probably not. Sorry. Never really planned that part out too well. My hands moved before my brain could register what was going on in that scene, but it liked it, so the scene stayed.


	10. Destiny

Chapter 10: Destiny

The pilots kept what had happened to themselves, even going so far as to hide their injuries, once they were onboard and they learned about what had happened to the other group.

The ship was in mourning as it was revealed that the fake Lacus, Meer Campbell, had saved Lacus from an assassination attempt.

While Kira and the others learned about the girl who would become the fake Lacus, Meer laid in state waiting for funeral preparations to be made.

"I'll contact Milliardo and tell them what we found… you two please go to the medical bay and get them to check you out… especially you Trowa." Quatre said when they were alone in their room and Trowa was examining his leg with a grimace.

"I'm fine." Wufei growled.

"You may be fine, but unfortunately I will need to have this looked after… it may be worse than I first thought. He didn't hold back against me." Trowa said in annoyance.

"Take him to the medical bay; it'll be hard for him to walk on his own." Quatre said in concern before leaving the room.

As he went to the hangar, he passed Athrun and Kira on one of the ship's balconies, but instead of checking on them like he wanted to, he forced himself to keep going to the hangar bay.

They had designated certain times when they would contact each other to avoid sitting in their cockpits for long periods of time for no reason.

Quatre started up the Sandrock and opened a channel to the Tallgeese III. Just as he had hoped, Milliardo was waiting. "We found Heero on Copernicus. He wounded Wufei and Trowa when they tried to catch him. Trowa's hurt worse than Wufei and may be out of action for a bit."

Milliardo frowned in anger. _"What about Duo?"_

"I can only assume that if Heero is there, Duo must be too. I wish I could go back out to investigate, but the ship is unsettled right now. Lacus was attacked, but she was saved by the girl who had been pretending to be her."

"_Andrew won't like to hear that. Lacus is like Relena: too important to the state of peace to let die before her time."_

Quatre nodded in agreement. "Although if they hear us say that, they may just hurt us…"

Milliardo couldn't help but chuckle and nod. _"Thank you for keeping me up to date_…_ now that things are settling down in the Plants, Andrew thinks this Durandal man will make his intentions known. Keep an eye on things and try to translate for us what the hell is going on, especially since you guys are more familiar with this universe than we are."_

"You're trying to keep your knowledge of this universe to a minimum, aren't you?"

"_Yes_…_ it wouldn't do well for us to learn much about this universe because it could cause perspective problems when we return home."_

"I understand. Please be careful. If he does make his speech, I'll meet you here at our next appointed time."

Milliardo nodded and cut off communications.

Quatre sighed and shut down the Sandrock.

"There you are!" Neo said as he stood beneath the Sandrock.

"Hurry up, Durandal's going to be making his speech."

"All right… let's go." Quatre said as he walked beside Neo.

"Where are your other two buddies?"

"They're around."

Neo looked at him suspiciously, but nodded in understanding.

"How are you doing, Mwu?" Quatre asked absently, although he knew Neo was there when Meer was killed.

"Normally I'd say 'I'm not this Mwu guy!', but recently I've been second guessing myself… so I've been letting it slide. As for me… I wish I could have protected them, but…" He shook his head as Quatre nodded in understanding.

"Wishing doesn't help change the past."

"You sound like you know from experience."

"I'm a Gundam pilot of almost ten years… there is almost nothing that I don't know about when it comes to pain."

Neo sighed and remained silent as they continued walking towards the Archangel's bridge.

* * *

><p>Trowa arrived on the bridge with a cast on his leg and Wufei at his side, waving away concerned questions as he nodded towards the monitor where Durandal had just appeared.<p>

The silence on the bridge was grim as Durandal made his speech, unleashing the Destiny Plan upon the unsuspecting public.

Once he was finished, a cheery female voice with cheery music took over to explain how the Destiny Plan would work.

Everyone aboard the Archangel wore dark expressions until the female voice stopped speaking.

Once the broadcast was finished, discussions began aboard the Archangel, which contacted the Eternal in order to discuss what would eventually occur on Earth if Durandal wasn't stopped before his plans entered their main phases.

Only two nations had rejected the proposal immediately: Orb and the Kingdom of Scandinavia, but every other nation on the Earth were still up in the air about the Destiny Plan.

"So what do you make of it?" Quatre asked Trowa and Wufei as they left the bridge.

"This universe just got a bit more messed up than it was before… but we will stay by the Archangel's side and stop this plan from coming to fruition." Trowa said grimly.

Wufei nodded in silence as Kira called them back onto the bridge.

"What's wrong?" Quatre asked in concern.

"ZAFT rebuilt the Requiem and fired it at the Earth Forces' other base on the moon." Murrue answered grimly.

"Showing off his power… it's a fear tactic to force the other nations to fall in with him and not follow Orb's lead." Wufei growled.

"Considering that thing is on par with the GENESIS for power… it wouldn't surprise me if it works. Especially since it can target anywhere on Earth if the relay points are aligned properly." Athrun's calculating tone made the others nod in agreement.

Lacus took control of the situation and ordered Murrue to get in contact with Orb and unite the Archangel with the forces of Terminal and the Eternal.

As the Archangel prepared to launch with the Orb space fleet stationed at Copernicus, everyone was sitting in the lounge, belted down and waiting for it to be safe to resume free roaming.

"Quatre… what do you think Heero and Duo will do now?" Kira asked suddenly, causing Neo and Athrun to look at him in surprise.

"Honestly… since they left… I don't know what they'll do. I know they'll return to the battlefield when things are at their worst though, because they know that's usually when our ticket home shows up. Despite saying we'll be here to help you guys… well…" Quatre looked down at the floor.

"Your first loyalty is to your leader and getting her home safely…"

"If the chance comes up: take it. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. In fact, we'll make sure to keep enemy forces from hampering your escape if it comes up and there's still fighting."

Now it was the pilot's turn to be surprised by Kira and Athrun's words.

"Thank you… just please make sure not to get caught by it yourselves."

"Don't worry; we'll keep ourselves at a distance."

As soon as the all clear was given, the pilots all headed towards the hangar to make last minute inspections of their respective Gundams.

* * *

><p>Once the Archangel and the Eternal were reunited, crews began working to load the Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice onto the Eternal.<p>

There was a brief period of reunion for both crews as Lacus, Kira, Athrun and Meyrin were to be transferred over to the Eternal's crew.

"You know… I've never been a big fan of these 'failure is not an option' missions. It makes things too tense." Andrew said as he handed Murrue and Neo each a cup of coffee while they oversaw the transfer from the safety of the observation deck overlooking the hangar.

"I have to agree with you on that part. Knowing that failure means handing the fate of the world over to that man…" Murrue shook her head in disgust at the thought.

As she took a sip of coffee, she couldn't help but smirk in amusement. "Still experimenting?"

"No good?" Andrew asked in concern.

"No actually, it tastes good; I was just surprised you could still find time to experiment with everything that's been happening."

"Experimenting with different blends of coffee helps me to relax, especially before a big mission. I find it helps increase your focus when you're relaxed; you're able to see things more clearly than you could if you were tense and worried about what problems could happen on the mission. Don't you do anything like that?"

Neo and Murrue both shook their heads, leading Andrew to shrug in defeat.

"Oh well… let's just hope we can end this before it can escalate any further than it has…"

Murrue and Neo nodded in agreement as they were notified that the Strike Freedom was successfully on board the Eternal.

"We're sorry you have to stay aboard the Eternal… but it's got the shuttle set up in the emergency hangar ready to launch if something should appear and the Eternal can just fit those three DOM Troopers, Andrew's Gaia, the Tallgeese III, the Freedom and the Justice. We can't transfer and nor can you, so the arrangements will just have to stay the way they are." Quatre said apologetically as their group passed the three elder soldiers.

Both groups exchanged quick greetings before Quatre and the others moved on in order to get Relena and the Defence Council back on board the Eternal before the two ships broke apart.

"Having those five back with us have certainly made things interesting around here, haven't they?"

Murrue sighed in annoyance with Andrew's question. "I can't argue with that… but interesting is hardly the word I'd choose to describe the way they've turned things on their heads around here."

"Really? Compared to what you and Kira have told me about their last visit here, things seem pretty normal."

"Then again, two of them went off on their own without telling their friends or any of us, so that should count against the normalcy claim." Neo chipped in as he stared out at the gleaming Akatsuki, which he was entrusted with by Cagalli.

Notice went out that the Infinite Justice was successfully loaded onto the Eternal and both crews quickly said their goodbyes before returning to their respective ships so they could begin leading the attack against ZAFT and Durandal's Destiny Plan…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Not much to say about this chapter. Trowa's leg is heavily fractured, for those of you wondering how bad the damage was. Nothing much else to say about this chapter. Sorry about that.


	11. Station One

Chapter 11: Station One

The Archangel and the Eternal split from the main group, being the two fastest ships in the combined fleet. Their target location: Requiem Relay Point 1. As they would try to break through ZAFT's defences to get to the relay point, the rest of the fleet would aim their focus on the rebuilt Daedalus lunar base and taking out the Requiem's cannon.

As the Archangel and the Eternal approached the relay point's defences, Lacus tried to plead with them to let their ships pass on the grounds that such a weapon should not exist in their world.

The Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice launched from the Eternal and docked with their METEOR units as they prepared to attack the former colony.

The other pilots waited inside their Gundams just in case her pleas fell on deaf ears, which is what they were afraid would happen.

Once ZAFT forces began opening fire on the two Gundams and the two ships, Quatre knew it was time for them to head out as well.

"_We're heading out now Captain Ramius. Please be careful and don't do anything reckless."_

Murrue smiled and nodded. _"Understood. I'd say the same to you three, but I know that it'd be useless."_

"_You're finally catching on."_ Quatre said in amusement as the three Gundams began launching; knowing that the other mobile suits with the two ships would begin launching as well.

"_Athrun, Kira_…_ we'll watch your backs. We know you've got whatever is in front of you handled, but with those METEORs of yours_…_"_

"_Thanks you guys. I just hope we can destroy it before they fire it again."_ Athrun admitted as his METEOR sliced through several mobile suits that had gotten in front of the two Gundams.

"_You're not the only one hoping for that_…_"_ Trowa said grimly as the Heavyarms opened fire against a swarm of incoming mobile suits. Unlike the battle at Onogoro, Trowa had little need to worry about conserving ammunition at this fight, since it was intended to be the last; however he was still careful about how he used the ammunition because he knew that this battle would be an intense and long one.

"_How's your leg, Trowa?"_ Trowa was surprised by Wufei's concern and by the fact that he hadn't noticed any pain in his bad leg.

"_It's fine_…_ I've been so focused on the 'what's been happening' that I had forgotten about it. Of course now that I remember it_…_"_ He trailed off as the leg gave a sharp jolt while he manoeuvred the Heavyarms to dodge a blast from an incoming mobile suit.

"_Remind me to return the favour the next time we see Heero."_ He gritted through the pain as the Heavyarms returned fire with missiles from its shoulder.

Wufei's amused chuckles made Trowa shake his head at his fellow pilot.

The Sandrock held its submachine gun in its right hand while the left hand had the cross crusher resting on its shield. Though the cross crusher limited how many suits the Sandrock could take out at one time, it made the Sandrock more flexible when it came to fighting on such a large battlefield.

"_Perhaps you should pull out, Trowa?"_ Quatre asked in concern as the cross crusher grabbed a ZAKU and, true to its name, crushed the suit in half before leaving it to explode as the Sandrock moved on to another target.

"_Since when have any of us allowed a little pain to get in the way of fighting?"_

Quatre shook his head as he fired at a mobile suit that had tried to attack the Strike Freedom from behind. _"All right_…_ but if it begins to hinder your movement please return to the Archangel to rest your leg. I don't want you to risk your safety just because you feel obligated to fight with us."_

"_Don't worry, Quatre_…_ I will."_

"_Here comes the Minerva_…_ if those two suits are launched, leave them to us. You two focus on your mission. It's more important at this point than dealing with some acquaintances of Athrun's."_ Wufei growled as the Minerva appeared on his radar.

Kira and Athrun acknowledged them as they continued to push towards the relay station.

"_The Minerva's target will be us_…_ if you must, focus your efforts on the rest of the Lunar Fleet and leave the Minerva to us."_ Murrue's commanding voice left them no choice but to acknowledge her request.

"_Be careful, and protect the Eternal. Sorry you two_…_ but keep ploughing ahead without us."_ Quatre said worriedly as the three Gundams broke away from the Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice and headed to cut off the Lunar Fleet's mobile suits as they launched.

* * *

><p>The Akatsuki, Murasames and DOM Troopers launched as the amount of mobile suits targeting the two ships became overwhelming despite the furious effort put forth by the three other universe Gundams to stop them.<p>

The Tallgeese III was forced to remain behind because none of their officials were in any danger with all of their allies keeping the Eternal safe. The situation only served to annoy and frustrate Milliardo as the soldier wanted to join the battle with his allies.

On the battlefield, the Altron, like the Heavyarms, was managing its fuel for its flamethrowers carefully, only using them whenever an enemy annoyed Wufei as it preferred using its twin beam trident or the dragon fangs.

"_Damn these things are getting on my nerves_…_ after what we went through before this; I forgot how annoying mass-produced suits could get!"_ Wufei snarled as several heavily armed ZAKU were able to surround the three Gundams.

Being surrounded, they were unable to cut off a small fleet of mobile suits led by a white one that had launched from a carrier that had arrived with the Minerva, which was now engaged in heavy combat with the Archangel.

An eruption of energy wiped out half of the suits that had surrounded them just as the suits had begun charging their weapons to attack.

"_Don't we have the best timing?"_ Duo's snarky tone made the others roll their eyes as the Deathscythe Hell reappeared and destroyed several of the suits that hadn't been destroyed in the Wing Zero's attack.

"_Welcome back you two, did you have a nice vacation?"_ Wufei snapped in annoyance as the Altron attacked the remaining suits with renewed ferocity.

"_We were checking up on some things_…_ we didn't want you three along."_ Heero replied icily as the Wing Zero switched to its twin beam sabre, activating both beams to shred through several suits that had tried to catch it in a pincer attack.

"_Besides, it was boring as hell anyways. You guys seem like you've had a lot more interesting things happen. Almost makes me wish I'd stayed behind."_ Duo said dismissively as the Deathscythe Hell launched its beam shield at an unsuspecting enemy that was taking aim at the close combat suit from a distance.

While that was taking place, the Impulse, piloted by Lunamaria, headed for the Eternal, but was stopped by her sister's pleas. Taking advantage of the Impulse's immobility, the DOM Troopers attacked the flexible mobile suit.

* * *

><p>A horrifyingly familiar sight caught their attention as the Minerva had the Archangel trapped into protecting the Eternal from its positron cannon, which was aimed right at the Archangel's bridge like the Dominion's had in the previous war… and just like the previous war, Mwu La Flaga got between the positron cannon's blast and the Archangel's bridge.<p>

The five pilots set aside their grievances with each other as the Akatsuki vanished in the splaying of the positron blast, all five grimly wondering if they were seeing déjà vu all over again, when suddenly the blast stopped and the Akatsuki appeared completely undamaged, even returning fire and destroying the Minerva's positron cannon.

"_Damn that was lucky_…_"_ Duo's weak voice was reflective of how the others felt as relief washed over them.

"_Now that we know that suit is as good as we thought it was, let's get back to keeping those two ships intact."_ Quatre said as his business tone snapped everyone out of their relief while the Akatsuki created a barrier protecting the Archangel from another attack.

Meanwhile, the white suit and a grey suit cut off the Infinite Justice by destroying some missiles that had been intended for it. Piloted by a furious Yzak, and joined by a much calmer Dearka, the two suits confronted Athrun. Dearka instantly rejoined their cause as he mentioned it was time to destroy the relay station, and though Yzak seemed to be angered with his friend's apparent backstab, he helped Dearka defend the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice as they finally made it to the relay station. Bringing out the METEOR's massive beam swords, the two powerful suits proceeded to slice the old colony in half.

"_That's one job done_…_"_ Trowa said in relief as the Archangel and the others began retreating to rejoin the Orb fleet that was currently attacking the Requiem cannon with positron cannons.

However, as though prepared for this, the cannon was protected by positron deflectors and their attempt to destroy it was foiled. However, just as the Archangel and the Eternal reached the moon, something else arrived with a deadly greeting for the Orb forces…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Hello again! Nothing to say about this chapter. Enjoy!


	12. Messiah

Chapter 12: Messiah

The space fortress Messiah, equipped with a smaller version of the GENESIS weapon, had reached the moon and fired the Neo-GENESIS at the Orb fleet, destroying several ships as they tried to dodge.

While the miniature super-weapon was being recharged, the Legend and the Destiny launched from the fortress to intercept the allied forces, which were now pinned between the Messiah and the Minerva.

Abandoning the METEOR equipment, the Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice rushed out to meet the Legend and the Destiny as all of the forces for both sides clashed. As the allies' advance came to a stall, Kira decided it was time for the group to split up and ordered Athrun and the Archangel to head for the Requiem in order to destroy it.

Protests from Murrue about leaving the Eternal venerable fell on deaf ears as Lacus agreed with Kira that destroying the Requiem was more important than the Eternal.

"_We'll split up_…_ Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, help protect the Eternal_…_ without any weapons, it needs all of the protection it can get. Duo and I will fight with the Archangel. They'll need the buster rifle to help clear the way for them_…_ they'll run into the most resistance since they're going after the Requiem."_ Heero ordered as the Gundams fought with several mass produced suits that were being launched from the Messiah and its defence forces.

"_Understood Heero, please be careful you two."_ Quatre said grimly as the Sandrock separated its Heat Shotels once the submachine gun was rendered useless by a rogue attack from the Legend's DRAGOON system.

"_Are you certain you don't want any of us to come along? The Tallgeese III should be launched soon because these overwhelming numbers will be a threat to the safety of Relena and the others."_ Trowa asked in concern as the Heavyarms smashed in a suit's head with its foot as the suit tried to come up from beneath the Heavyarms.

"_Don't worry about us; we've got everything covered."_ Duo said dismissively, causing the others to frown at them in suspicion.

However, before they could argue more, the Archangel and the Infinite Justice split from the group with the Akatsuki, Wing Zero and Deathscythe Hell surrounding it.

Wufei muttered frustrated curses before alerts warned him of an incoming attack from behind. Before he could turn to face it, Yzak's GOUF destroyed the suit.

"_Don't think I'm helping you guys_…_ we've just got a common goal."_ Yzak's annoyed growl amused the three elder pilots for a few moments before they returned to the task at hand: protecting the Eternal.

* * *

><p>Inside the Eternal, Milliardo had left the Tallgeese III and headed for the bridge, where Relena sat near Lacus because of her role as leader of the five Gundams.<p>

Sally was in the medical bay, where her medical knowledge was being put to good use whenever injured crew members came in, Noin was helping the crews with repairs whenever they were needed, and Une was helping wherever she was needed at the time.

"Captain Waltfeld… it's time I headed out. This ship will need all of the protection it can get, even with those ZAFT units and our pilots." Milliardo said once he had entered the bridge.

Andrew remained silent for a few moments in thoughtful consideration. He turned around in his chair and looked up at Lacus as she sat behind him. They stared at each other for only a second before both of them nodded in agreement.

"You may go now, Commander Peacecraft." Lacus said as she looked down at Relena.

"Please be careful Milliardo." Milliardo nodded before turning to leave.

"Wait!"

Milliardo stopped and looked down at Andrew, who stared grimly at him.

"Be ready at any time to return to the Eternal so that you can escort your sister and the rest of your council back home. That space fortress will be brought down, and it will have a nuclear reactor on it to power that miniature GENESIS it's got. An explosion of that mass was what generated the anomaly that sent your guys home last time, and I'm certain it will this time too."

"I understand… don't worry about me… just make sure to get them to the shuttle. They have a tendency to be… stubborn." Relena's insulted expression created a slight smirk on her older brother's face before he turned and left the bridge.

"He can be just as bad as those other five." She grumbled as the ship shuddered from an attack that got past the Eternal's multiple defenders.

Lacus nodded in understanding. "I have had personal experience with your pilots' attitudes in the last war when I pulled them out after discovering their initial intentions to stay out of our war. I must admit, I was surprised that they were so adamant about going back out and helping to fight our war…"

"They're just like Kira at times… I think it comes with being Gundam pilots." Andrew said before ordering the Eternal to dodge an incoming attack from one of the other battle ships, which was quickly silenced by the Altron and the DOM Troopers.

* * *

><p>The Eternal's launch hatch opened to allow the Tallgeese III to finally join the battle, which it did quickly by taking out a few suits that had tried to exploit the opening hatch as a potential weakness. The Tallgeese III ignored it's Dobergun as it used its heat rod and beam sabre to destroy more that were planning to do the same thing as their fallen comrades.<p>

The Akatsuki and the Wing Zero were proving to be devastating enemies for any ZAFT forces who impeded the Archangel and the Infinite Justice's progress towards the Requiem's cannon.

However, the Infinite Justice was quickly targeted by the Impulse as the Archangel was forced into battle with the Minerva, bringing their charge towards the Requiem to a halt. The Infinite Justice's power was greater than the Impulse and it was quickly disabled once Lunamaria refused to back down, prompting Shinn and the Destiny to step in.

The Strike Freedom continued to battle the Legend as Kira quickly came to realize that he was facing another clone of Mwu's father just like Rau Le Creuset was. Despite the intense shock from this revelation, the Strike Freedom still fought hard without any side effects from the shock, and Kira was even able to turn the shock against Rey by telling him that he could choose to live his life the way he wanted and that he didn't have to follow Rau's footsteps. This resulted in the disabling of the Legend, allowing the Freedom to focus on the Messiah's defences with the METEOR.

Athrun realized that Shinn was no longer emotionally or mentally stable as he attacked Lunamaria, who had flown the remainder of the Impulse in between the Destiny and the Infinite Justice, and quickly disabled the Destiny before destroying the Minerva's engines.

The Gundams continued to hold off enemy suits before a warning from Yzak came in that the Neo-GENESIS was going to attack again.

All of the allied forces were able to get out of the way in time; however some of the ZAFT forces were not as lucky.

"_Damn_…_ that guy's lost his mind_…_"_

"…_If he ever had one to begin with."_ Duo and Heero's icy tones matched as they escorted the Archangel on its course towards the Requiem and the Messiah.

The Infinite Justice and Akatsuki broke through the Requiem's barrier and destroyed it as everyone from ZAFT looked on in shock.

"_Eternal, this is Quatre_…_ get everyone on board the shuttle_…_ Milliardo, please return to protect the shuttle when it's released from the Eternal. The end for that thing is almost near_…_"_ Quatre's tone went from urgent to grim as the Strike Freedom's METEOR destroyed the Messiah's defence ring and all ships opened fire on the fortress, severely damaging it before the Strike Freedom, Legend, Infinite Justice and a space pod entered the collapsing fortress as explosions continued to rock the fortress…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry the battle isn't as detailed as some of you may have liked, but, well... basically just go watch the series and input the Wing Pilots in your mind and that's pretty much the result. They didn't end up doing much this time, and for that, I'm sorry. As I said, maybe one day I'll go back and readjust these chapters so that they're longer and more detailed.


	13. Ending the War

Chapter 13: Ending the War

Everyone watched worriedly as they waited for the Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice to exit the quickly disintegrating Messiah as the explosions reached the various engines and reactors within the fortress.

"_They really are Gundam pilots aren't they?"_ Trowa mused grimly as the two Gundams finally appeared just as the Messiah collapsed into the moon.

"_We like cutting it close, so sue us."_ Duo said with a shrug as they surrounded the shuttle as it was released from the Eternal as a precaution, despite the fact that it was obvious the war was over.

On a private channel, Heero appeared on Duo's screen. _"Are you all right?"_ He asked in concern.

Duo waved a dismissive hand once he shut down communications with the others. "Don't worry about me. The new systems we installed are working great. Hell, I practically fought that entire fight with my eyes closed."

Heero glared at Duo but shut down the link to avoid doing something rash to his fellow pilot when other, more important, dangers were still imminent.

The Messiah's end was a spectacular explosion, leading the Gundams to escort the shuttle to where the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice stood a safe distance away.

Lacus spoke to the ZAFT forces, telling everyone that this battle was essentially over and that they were disengaging.

Both ZAFT and Orb began sending up flares for their forces to return, but the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice stood nearby as the Gundams began scouting the Messiah's rubble for an anomaly. However… this time… there was none to be found.

The pilots paled at the implications that they weren't going home, even though they continued desperately to scan for an anomaly.

"_Shuttle_…_ return to the Eternal_…_ we're stuck here_…_"_ Heero finally said grimly as they began to retreat back to where the Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice were.

"_Looks like you guys are stuck with us for now_…_"_ Duo said with a shake of his head as the shuttle and the other Gundams followed the two suits back towards the Eternal's location.

The Infinite Justice split off from the group to go and pick up Shinn and Lunamaria who were stranded on the Lunar surface as all of the surviving forces returned to their respective vessels with the intention of returning to their homelands…

* * *

><p>The peace talks between Orb and the Plants were a tricky thing, but Cagalli took advantage of their inability to get home by asking for Relena's help. Relena taught Cagalli all that she could and the treaty was signed, bringing an official end to the war.<p>

Once Lacus was called back to the Plants by the Supreme Council, Relena and the others decided that it was in their best interests to join her escort fleet just in case they happened across an anomaly. However, no such anomaly appeared.

A month later, plans were made tentatively between Athrun, Kira and Lacus to meet at the Orb memorial site with the intention of asking Shinn to help them rebuild the world they had started to create before Logos and Durandal ruined it.

Athrun had never had the heart to tell Shinn what had happened to Rey in the battle at the Messiah, even though he knew it was probably torturing Shinn to know what had happened to his friend.

* * *

><p>At the memorial site, Athrun talked with Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin as he waited for Kira and Lacus to arrive, if they were able to.<p>

Birdy's little call was all that alerted the group that Kira and Lacus had arrived as Lacus approached and put flowers on top of ones that Athrun and the others had brought. After Shinn had accepted their request, the group stood and stared down at the memorial for a few moments.

"Ah… I see we're not too late."

"Rey!" Shinn jolted and spun around to face the voice, but was disappointed as Trowa stared down at him in slight confusion.

"Hey you guys… I thought you were waiting for us at the space port?" Kira asked curiously.

"Nah, that place got pretty boring fast, and besides… we participated in this war too. It was only fitting that we came to pay our respects for the dead." Duo explained as Quatre laid a third bouquet of flowers onto the memorial stone.

"It's too bad you guys couldn't go home after the last battle… I hope you'll be able to go home soon." Athrun said with a shake of his head.

"You're not the only one wishing it… the state of affairs in our universe is tedious at best, even with Relena's backup being a capable leader, but our long absence may cause panic and concern among the people." Heero explained grimly.

Athrun, Kira and Lacus nodded in understanding, but Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin stared at the five men in confusion. Athrun noticed their confusion and proceeded to introduce the five veterans to the three young soldiers.

"I know it's confusing… and admittedly a bit weird, even for us who have… supposedly… gotten used to them, but it's the truth."

"Sorry, I must sound like this Rey person that you spoke of earlier." Trowa said as he bowed his head slightly to Shinn, who could only stare blankly at him.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there were others who sounded like the rest of us too. Of course, the same could be said for our universe and you guys too. Perhaps we'll pay more attention to see if that's true." Wufei said idly, causing everyone to stare at him in surprise before his annoyed scowl caused them to turn their attention back to the memorial stone.

"Speaking of Relena, where are they?" Kira asked in curiosity.

"They decided to spend some time checking out the town. They wanted to see what Orb was like considering all they had to go on was our descriptions of the place. Besides, anything's better than staring at the inside of a ship." Duo answered with a casual shrug.

"It is time for us to go our separate ways now…" Lacus said as she rested a hand on Kira's arm and the Strike Freedom's pilot nodded in understanding.

"We'll see you later, right Athrun?"

"Of course, I'll be coming up to the Plants in a couple of weeks."

"Uhm… please be careful." Lunamaria said shyly as Lacus and Kira turned to leave.

Lacus turned back and smiled at Lunamaria. "Thank you… perhaps we will see each other again."

The five pilots left ahead of them, knowing they would be leaving as soon as Lacus arrived at the space port.

"Come on Meyrin, we'd better get back too." Athrun said as Lacus and Kira began walking away.

Meyrin nodded and followed Athrun, leaving Lunamaria and Shinn to stay for a few minutes and watch the ocean.

* * *

><p>Since it was an unofficial visit, Lacus boarded a shuttle with Kira as Relena and the Defence Council boarded theirs with the Gundams and the Tallgeese III acting like an escort for the two shuttles.<p>

"_How long do you think we'll be here for?"_ Milliardo asked in concern as the six suits made a protective ring around the two shuttles once they exited the atmosphere.

"_We honestly don't know_…_ as we said: the last time we were here, the GENESIS' explosion was enough to tear open an anomaly for us to return with."_ Wufei replied with a defeated shake of his head.

"_That's what has us confused. The Messiah's explosion was on par with the GENESIS', but it never created an anomaly_…_ we're still trying to figure it out, but for now, we take what's given to us and hope that things change."_ Quatre explained calmly.

Duo stared in surprise at his radar as something appeared on the edge of it, barely registering with his database. _"Hey guys_…_ I don't know why I'm always the one who finds these things, but_…_"_

Relieved smiles appeared on the pilot's faces as they got in touch with Lacus' shuttle and informed her that it was time for them to leave.

"_I understand_…_ thank you, and please be careful."_

"_Thanks a lot you guys_…_ I don't know how things would have turned out if it weren't for you showing up again."_

Heero shook his head. _"It would have turned out the same_…_ remember that all we did was fight mass produced suits. You took care of the important things."_

Kira couldn't help but smile. _"Take care of yourselves."_

"_Right back at you, kid."_ Duo responded as Milliardo got in touch with Noin and informed the shuttle to change course.

"_I really hope this is the last time we have to do this_…_"_ Duo moaned as they neared the swirling darkness.

"_I have a feeling it will be, don't worry_…_"_ Quatre said reassuringly as the Wing Zero was the first to be taken in by the anomaly followed closely by the Tallgeese III, then the shuttle, with the rest of the pilots bringing up the rear.

Lacus and Kira watched from their shuttle's windows until they were no longer visible.

"Do you think we'll need their help ever again?" He asked her and she shook her head in response.

"This is our universe… we need to take care of it ourselves. I'm sure we won't need their help anymore…"

"I just hope you're right…" Kira said as he stared out the window, wincing as an annoyed Lacus slapped him lightly for his disbelief.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Yep! They're gone home. You know what that means, don't you? Only two more chapters remain! These two chapters wrap up the respective universes. I know there are post-anime manga out there that do the job for Wing at least, but... well... you try finding them nowadays. They're impossible or expensive as hell. *ahem* Anyways. Not much to say about this chapter. Sorry I don't delve more into what they do during their stay in the C.E. universe but yeah. I was just so tired of rebuilding this series by this point that I just wanted it over with. =/ I'm sorry.

And now you know what they were doing on Copernicus. Taking various technologies from this world to enhance the cockpit systems of the Deathscythe Hell so that Duo could continue to pilot without the need of his eyesight. Sorry to all those who were playing the guessing game. =P


	14. Peace

Chapter 14: Peace

_A year had passed in the Cosmic Era and the peace that had settled between Naturals and Co-ordinators felt much different than the previous peace_…_ it felt genuine and complete with only a small flicker of tension that still existed because of some Naturals who still did not agree with Co-ordinators and how they came to be._

_In Orb, only the memories of those who survived the wars could tell the younger generations that something terrible had indeed happened on their home island of Onogoro_…_ which had completely recovered from the attacks it faced from ZAFT._

_Athrun became an Admiral of the Orb fleet with the Archangel as his flagship. Murrue, Mwu and Andrew retired peacefully to Andrew's new villa in one of the smaller islands surrounding the main island. Miriallia returned to her job as a freelance photographer, hoping that she would never have to fight again to bring peace to the Plants and the Earth. With everything Relena had taught her at her disposal, and her own personal experiences, Cagalli had grown into the leader that Orb had expected of her before the war. In the Plants, Lacus became the Chairwoman of the Supreme Council with Yzak and Dearka promoted to be among her personal escort because of their unwavering loyalty in the two wars. Kira, like his best friend, became an Admiral of the ZAFT fleet with the Eternal as his flagship. Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin now serve as part of the Eternal's crew and mobile suit fleet._

_Unknown to anyone but those who had been their closest allies during the war, Athrun and Cagalli took part in a double wedding ceremony with Kira and Lacus, turning friends into family and cementing the peace between Orb and the Plants with bonds stronger than words on paper_…

* * *

><p>Yzak and Dearka stood in civilian clothes, waiting outside Lacus' office as she took care of some last minute details that required her attention.<p>

"You know they're going to go crazy about this, right?" Dearka asked in amusement.

Yzak shook his head. "She should have at least informed them that she was taking some time off, even if it is just a day."

"I can't do that; they wouldn't let me have even a day to myself." Lacus' amused tone made both men jump in surprise as she stood smiling between them. Her long pink hair was bound up in one of her usual ponytails as she wore one of her usual dresses.

"So much for being bodyguards…" Dearka muttered beneath his breath as he shook his head.

"Shall we go before anything else comes up?"

"Yes ma'am."

Lacus laughed and patted Yzak on the shoulder. "How many times have I told you not to be so formal? We're all friends aren't we?"

Dearka laughed at the embarrassed blush on his friend's face. "Give him some time; it's just going to take him a while to get used to being on an informal basis with the leader of the Plants."

Lacus nodded and motioned for them to follow her as she walked down the hall, knowing it would do her no good to try to go unnoticed, so instead she looked as though she was going to another meeting to avoid being caught by somebody wanting her to do something.

It was only when they got to the hangar where the Eternal was stored that she was stopped by her secretary and Yzak's team of bodyguards.

"Oh my, what's this all about?" Lacus asked in confusion.

"I thought you were acting funny these past few days and it had me worried. You know we're busy right now trying to arrange the rebuilding of Januarius and December. You can't just go running off whenever you feel like it." Her secretary said sternly.

"Shiho, take the squad and go do some training exercises." The female red uniformed soldier was taken aback by Yzak's sudden order.

"Uhm… yes sir…" She said as she bowed her head slightly before motioning for the rest of the squad to follow her.

Lacus' secretary was annoyed with Yzak overriding her request, but ignored him as she focused on Lacus.

"Don't worry; I'll be back by the end of the day. This is an appointment that I made a year ago, and I cannot break it so easily. I promise to work well into the night if it will appease your concerns. Besides, that project is well beyond the point where my input is needed. It's merely a matter of negotiating with contractors, which is up to the rest of the council." Lacus said with the same cheerful tone she always used to baffle her secretary.

"You guys ready? I was starting to get worried."

"Admiral Yamato! Please stop her!" Lacus' secretary pleaded as Kira approached the group.

Over his shoulder, Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin watched the scene with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

Kira shook his head. "Sorry, but once she makes up her mind there's no changing it. It's been that way since the wars and I don't see it changing any time soon."

"Don't worry; we'll take good care of her." Dearka assured the stunned secretary as Kira took Lacus' hand and lead her to the Eternal with Yzak and Dearka following right behind them, leaving the secretary to stare after them with a gaping mouth as though she was unsure about what had just happened.

* * *

><p>Cagalli stood with Athrun at the memorial site, staring out at the ocean, holding hands with him.<p>

"It's hard to believe a year ago this place was nearly destroyed…" Athrun said as he looked around at the beautiful gardens and benches that had replaced the destroyed trees and grounds.

Cagalli nodded. "I'm just glad Murrue was willing to oversee the project when I asked her. She said it was a nice change to be in charge of rebuilding instead of destroying."

"I agree with her there… come on, they should be arriving soon. We should get everything ready." Athrun said as he picked up the bag they had brought with them and walked over to a part of the memorial site that was designated for quiet reflection.

Cagalli helped him set up the picnic area just as a car arrived.

"Hey! You guys weren't planning to start without us, were you?" Mwu asked as he helped a very pregnant Murrue out of the car that Andrew was driving.

"I'm surprised to see you three are the first ones here." Athrun called back in amusement as the three former soldiers came down to meet them.

"Are you sure you should have come?" Cagalli asked Murrue in concern as she helped her sit down.

"Don't worry, I'm not due for another month… besides, I don't think any of us would miss this. It's been so long and everyone's been so busy since the end of the war."

"I know what you mean… who else is coming?" Athrun asked curiously as Andrew helped him finish setting up the cooking utensils for their meals.

Just as he asked, two more cars pulled up. Lacus, Kira, Dearka and Yzak got out of the first car, while Shinn, Lunamaria, Meyrin and Miriallia got out of the second car.

"I'm amazed she managed to get away." Murrue said in surprise as the group approached.

"We ran into Miriallia at the space port, so we decided to come together." Kira explained as they came up and exchanged warm greetings with their old comrades.

"Doesn't that always seem to happen?" Andrew asked in amusement as they sat together with the intention of catching up on what had been happening with each other in the past year.

"Doesn't this seem familiar?" Dearka commented as the older soldiers remembered their last picnic in the first post-war peace.

"May I?" Lacus asked shyly as she indicated to Murrue's stomach.

Murrue chuckled and nodded as Lacus rested her hand on the older woman's stomach. The other girls quickly joined in, much the amusement of the guys. Once they had gotten their need to rub Murrue's stomach out of the way, everyone settled down and began reminiscing about the old days.

When talk turned to those they had lost, they held a moment of silence for their fallen comrades.

* * *

><p>By the time they had finished enjoying catching up and having a good meal together; the sun was sitting on the horizon.<p>

Lacus sighed as sadness settled on the group, knowing it was time for them to go their separate ways.

"Shall we meet here again next year?" Everyone looked at Shinn in surprise as he quietly spoke. He blushed and looked down at the ground in embarrassment.

"That sounds like a great idea… same time, same place?" Cagalli asked to nods of agreement.

"It was nice to be able to meet everyone under better circumstances." Lunamaria admitted as she received a nod of agreement from her younger sister.

As everyone stood and began helping to pack up, Miriallia took out her camera.

"How about another picture? I still have the picture from our last picnic."

The other veterans admitted they still had theirs, except Mwu who had been missing when they last met.

"I think this will become a tradition." Kira said with a smile as everyone gathered to get ready for the picture.

Once she had set up the camera, Miriallia stood with Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin between her and Dearka, giving him a dark look that made the veteran pilot shy away from her. Unlike the last picture, this one turned out with no surprises.

Miriallia smiled in relief as she began to pack away the camera. "I'll send you guys the copies as soon as I can."

The others agreed as they finished cleaning up and stood by the side of the road where the row of cars was waiting for them.

"Don't be strangers… I'll drop everything if I hear you're coming." Cagalli said as she hugged Kira before moving on to Lacus.

"I extend the same request to you… it would be sad if we only ever meet once a year." She said as she hugged Athrun before allowing Kira to shake his friend's hand.

"Hey, what about us? You guys gonna forget about coming by to see us?" Mwu asked with an expression of feigned hurt, causing the others to laugh as they agreed to come and visit them.

Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin stood off to the side, feeling like intruders at a family gathering until Cagalli came up to them.

"If ever you're allowed time to get away, don't be afraid to come visit. I know we've had our differences, Shinn, but things have changed since then and it would be nice to see what you think of the changes."

Shinn looked away with a flicker of anger as the others watched him in concern. He stared at the ground for a few moments before finally nodding his head. "All right… I guess it wouldn't hurt…"

Cagalli smiled in relief as she extended the same invitation to Meyrin and Lunamaria.

"Well… I guess it's time to go…" Andrew said reluctantly.

"Farewell everyone…" Lacus said sadly as Kira opened the car door for her.

As everyone began leaving, Cagalli and Athrun watched them go.

Once the last car was out of sight, Athrun put an arm around Cagalli's waist and led her back to their car.

"I'm glad to see that Shinn's starting to slowly forgive Orb…" She admitted.

Athrun sighed and nodded. "It will still take a long time… in fact, he may never fully forgive Orb, but at least he's trying… that's a sign of growth. And after all that he's been put through, that's a good thing."

Cagalli nodded in agreement before climbing in their car and heading back to their home.

* * *

><p><em>The C.E. universe under the united front of Lacus and Cagalli's leadership would see only a few minor skirmishes that were quickly quashed before they could turn into full-scale wars. The Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice were never needed again and the Archangel, Eternal and Kusanagi never saw the field of battle, being decommissioned and turned into museums to keep the memory of the wars and those who lost their lives fresh to prevent future generations from making the mistakes of their predecessors<em>…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> In a reversal/call-back to Winged Destiny, the finale chapters are reversed. This time, the C.E. universe gets the front finale and A.C. universe will be the last. Huzzah!

This entire chapter a deliberate homage to Winged Destiny since this is the final story. Also, it was deliberate on the character's parts. They knew the importance of this get together and so they deliberately got together in the fashion of their last peace picnic to try to bring the newer people (Shinn, Lunamaria, Meyrin) closer to those they fought against in the war. Yes, they now serve as soldiers for a few of those people, but admittedly that's a different setting compared to being in a more informal setting that helps them get to know them in a less-professional way.

I know, I know. Cagalli and Athrun supposedly didn't get together in the Canonical setting. This is a bit of personal preference seeding its way into a story that I have tried to keep professional about. Athrun supposedly got together with Meyrin, which, admittedly, seemed to come out of nowhere considering the way they interacted before it. I had always thought he had simply backed off and let Cagalli deal with the more important issues of running her country until Orb was stable again. I hadn't known about the difference until after this chapter had been already laid out the first time this story was made. I decided to leave it like this because I've already stated my reasons. Cagalli and Athrun had more chemistry than Meyrin and Athrun did. So yeah. I apologize for this lapse in professionalism.

The final paragraph kinda wraps up everything for the C.E. universe. At least, within a certain time frame.

Hope you enjoyed this! One final chapter to go!


	15. Life Goes On

Chapter 15: Life Goes On

_Upon returning to their own universe, relief seemed to envelope the ESUN when Relena retook command. Although initially irritated with Mariemaia's cover-up story, Relena accepted it as fact and began to enjoy a less stressful leadership as politicians feared another collapse. The pilots returned to their normal lives, or as normal a life as one could lead being a Gundam pilot, with very little repercussions._

_The same year that brought so much change to the C.E. universe saw very little change happen in the A.C. universe_…

* * *

><p>The crowd erupted into cheers as Trowa bowed after one of his aerial performances, which marked the end of the circus performance for that evening.<p>

As the manager bid the crowd farewell and hoped they would recommend his circus to their friends and family, Trowa left the main tent and headed for his smaller tent.

"Great performance as usual." Catherine said with a smile as he removed his half-mask, taking the towel she offered him gratefully.

"Admittedly, I think I could have done better."

Catherine scowled in annoyance with him. "You always say that! You're one of the best performers this circus has!"

He simply shrugged as a familiar voice calling his name made them pause.

"Quatre? What are you doing here?" He asked in surprise as his friend trotted up to them.

"Your circus stops by my colony and you don't think I'd take time off to come see you? Did you hit your head during that last stunt?" Quatre asked in disbelief.

Trowa chuckled and shook his head. "No I didn't… I was just surprised. I'm guessing the manager told you where to find me?"

Quatre nodded as Catherine patted Trowa on the shoulder.

"Good work tonight, I'll leave you two alone now." She said before heading to her trailer.

Trowa invited Quatre into his tent and offered him a stool to sit on.

"It's been so quiet lately… considering everything that's happened in these past five years, I must admit there are times when I feel agitated because of how quiet it is."

Trowa nodded in agreement. "I feel like every time we get called by the ESUN that something has happened and we're being sent in to deal with it."

"Of course, knowing our luck, the moment we do end up relaxing and enjoying the peace…"

"That is when something will happen. It always seems to be that way, doesn't it?" Trowa asked wryly.

Quatre sighed. "That's the price we pay for being what we are. Speaking of which, have you heard from Wufei at all?" He asked in concern.

"Yes actually. I saw him at our last stop. He seems to be doing quite well; although I have a feeling he shares our sentiments about the situation. He seemed rather tense when he left without coming to speak with me. What about any of the others? I haven't seen Heero or Duo since our last mission."

"Duo's doing well… I saw him last week when he dropped off a shipment of supplies my company needed. Howard keeps trying to give me discounts on orders because we're friends, but I've never felt comfortable about doing things like that."

"Even if it saves your company some money? Quatre, you seem to be one of the only honourable businessmen left in the Earth Sphere."

Quatre shrugged uncomfortably. "As for Heero… well… you know how he is…"

Trowa nodded in understanding, knowing Heero had a tendency to vanish completely and never allow himself to be found until a mission came up.

Quatre's eyes widened as he glanced casually at his watch. "Damn… I'd better get going Trowa; I'm supposed to be meeting with a business associate for dinner in half an hour."

"All right… be careful out there Quatre." Trowa warned as they stood outside his tent.

Don't worry; I'm not as helpless as I seem to be most of the time. After all, I'm a Gundam pilot too."

Trowa smirked slightly in amusement. "Sometimes you make that really hard to believe considering that you act more like a businessman than a pilot, especially of late."

Quatre sighed and shook his head. "I know… I've even considered retiring from being a pilot because doing both can become extremely draining when we're busy."

Trowa's look of concern made him raise his hand to cut off anything Trowa may have said.

"Every time I consider it though, I remember the reasons why I chose to remain a pilot after the Eve Wars and I dismiss the notion. Don't worry; I'm not retiring anytime soon. I may end up being the first one to retire, but I'll keep going until it becomes too much to multi-task both lives."

Trowa nodded in grim understanding.

It was the first time he had heard any of his fellow pilots admit that they were considering retirement, and although he would never openly admit it, he was scared for the time when they would all start to contemplate retiring… because it would mean leaving the Earth Sphere in the hands of somebody who may end up betraying the ESUN's trust.

"Take care Trowa."

"You too, Quatre…" Trowa waved slightly as Quatre walked away.

Once he was out of sight, Trowa sighed and returned to his tent, hoping that the time for retirement was still a long ways off.

* * *

><p>On another colony, a man stood in a crowd that had gathered to listen to Relena make a speech about a new hospital that was being opened that day. As he casually reached into his pocket, he suddenly collapsed as blood poured from the back of his head where a bullet had found its mark, causing everyone around him to panic as fear made them desperate to get themselves away from the dead man.<p>

Milliardo quickly put himself between Relena and the crowd just in case the shooter was somewhere within the crowd and they had been aiming for Relena.

Her bodyguards rushed forward, most of them trying to calm the crowd while one of them checked the man.

A bodyguard scowled as he brought a detonator out of the man's pocket that was wired to explosives strapped beneath his shirt, partially because the man had managed to slip past their security screening and partly because he realized what had really happened.

Milliardo shook his head as he tried to hide an amused smirk when the other guards appeared just as annoyed as their comrade when they figured out what had just transpired on their watch. He stepped aside since the real danger had been disposed of and Relena immediately began looking up at the surrounding buildings.

A knowing smile spread across her face as she found what she was looking for: a silhouette of a person standing on the roof of the building across the street looking down at the scene while holding a long object in their hand.

She glanced back at Milliardo who could only shrug in response to her unspoken question before she turned to look back at the roof, which was now empty.

The crowd was still extremely agitated and parted easily when a stretcher was brought in and the would-be bomber's body was wheeled away to a safe place where the bomb would be diffused.

"Please calm down everyone." Relena said gently once the body was removed.

Everyone stared up at her in surprise as she stood there calmly as though there hadn't just been a failed attempt on her life.

"The danger has passed and we will now continue on with the ceremony. This new hospital is far too important to be stalled by something as simple as a failed assassination attempt." She said dismissively.

The crowd quickly settled down as she continued speaking, although there was a hole in the crowd around where the man had been standing.

When the speech was finished and the hospital was officially opened, she looked around one last time in hopes of seeing her protector from the shadows, but she found nothing. She sighed in disappointment as she made her way back to the car.

"Take me back to headquarters, Alexander."

"Yes ma'am. That certainly was quite the opening, wasn't it?" He asked.

She nodded in agreement as she sat in the car.

Milliardo quickly joined her in case there was more than one assassin. "It's always reassuring to know there's somebody more competent than your bodyguards watching over you."

Relena smiled in amusement. "It gives me one less thing to worry about, that's for sure."

Milliardo simply rolled his eyes. "You should still worry… he's proven that he can still turn against you without warning."

"That was only because he was forced to." She said dismissively. "If he were ever to turn willingly against me, I must have given him a very good reason to do so. I just have to make sure to step carefully to avoid that… it'd break my heart if I gave him a reason to turn on me…" She said sadly.

Milliardo scowled slightly, but it was gone by the time the car reached the speed limit, heading for the colony's operational headquarters where they were staying while they were visiting the colony.

* * *

><p>Night had fallen on the same colony as Duo wandered the streets, seemingly casually, but he was searching for someone. He smirked when he found who he was looking for and slipped up behind them. "Nice shooting today."<p>

Heero frowned dangerously as he turned to face Duo. "You know better than to do that, I could have killed you." He growled as he brought his gun up to where Duo could see it.

"It all depends on who would have been faster." Duo said with a grin as he did the same with his own gun.

Heero closed his eyes in annoyance as he put his gun back, a gesture that Duo copied once he was certain that Heero wouldn't shoot him out of spite.

"You were in the crowd?" Heero finally asked as they began walking together.

"Yep. It's always nice to see Relena talk about something positive once and a while."

Heero remained silent until Duo stretched and something flashed on his left hand as they passed under a street light. Heero stared at Duo in surprise once he realized what it was. "You're married?"

Duo grinned and nodded as he glanced casually at the golden band on his left hand. "Who would have thought it, hm? Hilde and I eloped about a week ago, but Relena caught wind of it. We're here on her dime because she practically demanded that we have a honeymoon. I wanted to keep it secret, but I think Hilde told Mariemaia, who ratted us out to Relena."

Heero shook his head in disbelief. "I started to think none of us could ever really settle into a life of peace."

"That'd be where you're wrong… I'm just crappy at keeping it a secret. I know for a fact that Milliardo and Noin tied the knot two years after the Eve Wars and they've been keeping it secret all these years." Duo couldn't help but laugh at Heero's reaction. "Welcome to the world of peace, buddy, because as long as we have something to say about it… it's here to stay."

Heero could only shake his head in disbelief as they resumed walking.

After a few moments of walking in silence, Heero made sure there was nobody around before speaking. "How does it feel to be our universe's first genetically altered human?"

Duo grinned in amusement at the title. "It's great… now I don't have to worry about going blind until I'm an old man, I hope. And if ever I have kids of my own, they won't ever have to worry about it either."

"Now that's a nightmare I'd rather not think about…"

"Hey!" Duo sighed in annoyance. "If I wanted to be insulted, I would have gone to see Wufei."

Heero smiled in amusement, causing Duo to duck behind another street light. "Okay… never do that again. You only ever smile when something bad is about to happen. Namely to me. Just… never smile again."

Heero closed his eyes in annoyance as Duo came out from behind the street light and sighed.

"Well… I guess it's time to head back. She'll probably be wondering where the hell I ran off to." Duo said reluctantly as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He frowned in confusion as he pulled something out, which turned out to be his glasses. Heero watched silently as he dropped them onto the sidewalk and stepped on them with an icy expression on his face, making sure to totally destroy them. "See you on our next mission." He said as he turned back the way they came from and walked away.

Heero remained silent as he watched Duo for a few moments before turning and walking the other way.

* * *

><p>Wufei scowled in annoyance as he followed Sally around the ESUN headquarters on Earth. "Why did you want me here?"<p>

Sally shrugged uncertainly. "I just figured it'd be nice to talk to one of you pilots outside of missions and you were the only one who wasn't busy."

"What about Heero or Duo?" He asked, knowing that Quatre would be busy with Winner Corporation and Trowa would probably be busy with his circus troupe.

"Duo's… preoccupied these days." She said evasively, causing Wufei to stare at her suspiciously. "And Heero… well… have you ever tried getting a hold of that man for anything? I swear he has our lines tapped so that he knows when it's time for a mission or a meeting. He always shows up just when he's needed, we never know where or when to contact him ourselves." She sighed in frustration and shook her head.

"You were the only one available. Besides, despite your attitude most of the time, you make great conversation." She smiled in amusement as he rolled his eyes. "Oh… wait one second please?" She asked as they caught sight of Noin who was collecting money from a few disgruntled employees.

"Ah, you're here to pay up as well?" Noin asked with an expression that could only be described as amused smugness.

"Yes I am… now I'm regretting not joining you. How much have you collected so far?" Sally asked as she passed Noin some money.

"Enough. Hello Wufei, it's nice to see you visit outside of missions once and a while." Noin said as she caught sight of Wufei, who stared at them in annoyed confusion before Noin moved on and Sally rejoined him.

"What was that about?"

"A lost bet… she's smart to be collecting while Milliardo and Relena are away."

"What kind of bet?" Wufei asked in confusion, wondering why these highly trained, and supposedly professional, officials would even be placing bets on something at work.

"If you knew… well… you wouldn't believe it, or the result, anyways." She said in amusement as though she was thinking about how he'd react if he knew.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder how you could be in such a high position… there are times when you act just like children."

"It comes with the territory of living in a peaceful world after knowing so much war. You get overwhelmed when you realize that this is real and not a dream, and… well… you can't help but act like a kid again." She admitted with only a hint of embarrassment.

"Then you have a luxury that I can't afford." Wufei said with a shake of his head.

"I'm sure that will change… in time… I'm positive it will change for all of you… in fact, I know that it's already happening… it may just take some of you longer than the others."

"Humph… the peace has messed with your mind."

Sally laughed at him. "That may be true, but it's a nice feeling. Come on, let's get something to eat… at least, if Noin hasn't drained me of all my money." She admitted with a cringe.

Wufei allowed a chuckle of amusement to escape from him as he saw her expression.

"See? It's already affecting you." She said in satisfaction as his amusement quickly turned into an annoyed scowl as they walked towards an exit.

"Oh yeah, there was a reason I called you here… I have a proposition for you…" Sally said seriously as they reached the exit and left the ESUN.

* * *

><p><em>The A.C. universe would see the dismantling of the Gundams as they reached their twentieth year of service. The Mars Terraforming Project's primary and secondary phases were completed under the watchful eye of Wufei, who volunteered to oversee the project with Sally as a side occupation to being a pilot until the Gundams were dismantled. Aside from Heero, who vanished once the Gundams were dismantled, the rest of the pilots settled down and enjoyed the rest of their lives in peace under Relena's unending leadership.<em>

**Gundam Wing & Gundam Seed Destiny**

"**Free Us From War"**

**The End**

**Part 3 of 3**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> The Gundam Trilogy is done! *dies* *ahem* I'll be taking a VERY long break now that this trilogy is done. None of my other projects are even close to being finished, so... yeah. No stories for a while. If you're interested in any of the other stories listed on my profile, be sure to keep an eye on my profile for new announcements. Also, this is the longest author's note of pretty much the entire story, so you have been warned...

As you can tell, their normal lives typically keep them too busy to meet each other outside of missions, especially Trowa (he's always travelling around the Earth and Colonies) and Quatre (running a mega-corporation practically by himself). Also, yes... you saw that right... the dreaded "R" word: retirement. Though it probably came as no surprise to you readers that Quatre the full-time businessman was the one to openly admit to considering it. And for those of you wondering, the business dinner was just that: a business dinner. Like I said before, Trowa and Quatre remain ambiguous to give the Yaoi fans a bone considering that I (and Canon) outright slaughter the other popular pairing. Also, if you're wondering what happened to Trowa's replacement, he's still with the circus. He takes over for other performers (except the animal tamers) whenever they're sick or injured and helps with the behind the scenes when he isn't standing in for a performer.

Some would argue that the person with the explosives was a suicide bomber/terrorist, but he was there with the sole purpose of taking out Relena and Milliardo Peacecraft. He knew that the only way to take out both before the guards got him was to use something that would take them both out at once, and he knew he wouldn't survive the mission, so the bomb was the logical choice. Of course, Heero has tabs on all of the assassins in the Earth Sphere (there aren't that many anymore) so he knew what was going to happen and made sure to be there to stop the assassin. Nothing needs to be said about Relena's behaviour because, well, let's face it. She's been involved in so many situations she knows how to deal with them without flinching. I may have disliked her in the series (for many of the reasons that everyone else disliked her), but she grew up in the series and continued to grow at my hands, making my dislike of her completely disappear.

Yep. Duo got married. Also, I'm sorry that I tricked you guys with the control systems earlier. Sorta. They actually did install the system because they weren't certain about the surgery that altered Duo's eyesight would continue to be effective when they crossed back over into their world. They found out it had kept during training sessions. He'd forgotten about the glasses since he rarely wears his priest outfit anymore. It has basically become his piloting uniform, so in the year after returning from the C.E. universe, he hadn't worn it too often, so the glasses were forgotten because he didn't need them anymore. He wears other clothes (like the suit he wears in Endless Waltz) outside of missions. The only other time he wears the priest outfit is whenever he's out for official events like the hospital opening ceremony. He never bothered to change because, he wandered off and had been searching the colony for Heero all day. Hilde had been with him at the hospital ceremony, but he ran off after the ceremony was finished. Yeah, he'd basically been wandering the entire evening. Thankfully, she knew what he was up to, so she was more relieved to see that he'd returned unharmed than anything else. So now you know why it took him a year to finally dispose of the glasses. As for Heero? He wandered off like usual. He stayed on the colony until Relena left and followed her like the good guard puppy he is.

Noin got everyone to pay up while Relena and Milliardo were away. Mariemaia played it smart and didn't bet in her own game, so she was spared from Noin's overwhelming win. And well, the rest is pretty self-explanatory.

Sorry for the huge author's note! Hope you enjoyed the finale! As I said: I'll keep you posted on the status of my other stories on my profile, so feel free to watch my profile. =3

Special thanks to Final Genesis for reviewing and posting on all of the chapters for the entire Trilogy! =3 If you had an account, I would have thanked you some other way.


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